VIEWS 



©P THE 



JO 



OF THE 



."NORTH-WESTERN ARMY, &c. 



COMPRISING, 

Sketches of the Campaigns of Generals Hull and Harrison — A r:: 

r.ute and interesting account oj the Naval Conflict en Lake Erie 

— Military anecdote? — Abuses in the army — Plan of a 

Military Settlement — View of the Lake Coast from 

Sandusky to Detroit. 



By S\MUEL p. BROWN. 
Nothing extenuate, nor set down atcht is malice. 



TROY, N..Y. 

PRINTED 

By FRANCIS ADANCOURT 



1814 



£/>-** ;.:•:-■ 



Qv$t 






Views of the Campaigns 

OF THE 
NORTH-WESTERN ARMY, &c. 



Without detaining the reader with the for- 
mality of a preface, I come directly to my ob- 
ject, which is, to give an impartial view of the 
Campaigns of the North- Western Army, &c, 

The aspect of affairs on the north-western 
frontier, had determined the executive of the 
United States, as early as April, 1812, to send 
a respectable military force into the Michigan 
Territory. The open hostility of several of 
the Indian tribes in that quarter; the defence- 
less condition of the frontier inhabitants and 
the moral certainty of a war with England, 
rendered this measure indispensible. If the 
expedition had been as ably executed and sup- 
ported, as it was wisely planned, the happiest 
consequences would have resulted — the eifu- 
sion of much blood prevented. 

Weighty considerations required that tin? 
force should be promptly raised. According- 
ly a requisition for a detachment of 1 500 men, 
toas made to the governor of Ohio, who there- 
upon immediately issued orders to the com- 
mandants of divisions to furnish 500 men each. 



About 400 of the 4th regiment, the gallant 
heroes of Tippecannce, under Col. Miller, 
were at the same time ordered to descend the 
Ohio, from Pittsburgh, and join the detach* 
ment at the general rendezvous. 

Government ought at the same time to have 
commenced the building of two twenty gun 
brigs at Erie — the command of the lakes being 
all-important to the success of land operations. 
Suppose general Hull had taken Maiden, how- 
was he to receive supplies, while the British 
controuled the, navigation of Lake Erie, and 
while the savages commanded the forests and 
could ambush the convoys of provisions, at 
every half mile, for a distance of 200 miles? 

The task of organizing the Ohio troops de* 
yolved on Governor Meigs. They were com- 
posed entirely of volunteers, The men,, with 
the exception of the senior officers, were in the 
very prime of life, and animated with a noble 
ardor in their country's cause. The ranks 
were filled with uncommon expedition, and 
partly by citizeas of the first distinction. 

The exertions of the governor on this oc- 
casion, ought never to be forgotten. With a 
celerity never before equalled in a new coun- 
1 1 y, he collected, from every part of the state, 
a corps of 1500 men and organized them into 
three regiments, tne command of which, the. 



troops conferred on Cols. M' Arthur*, Cass, 
and Findley. 

The duties of his excellency became ardu- 
ous and important. Arms, accoutrements, 
camp equipages and stores, were all to be 
provided. The public arsenal could furnish 
but little ; rifles, knapsacks, blankets, tents, 
bullet-moulds — every thing in short was want- 
ing ; however, the creative genius of governor 
Meigs and the patriotism of the Ohionians, 
supplied all deficiencies, and the detachment 
was shortly placed in a condition for march- 
ing. 

The troops rendezvoused at Dayton, on 
Mad River. On the 25th of May, governor 
Meigs surrendered the command to brigaider 
gen. Hull, who had been appointed to conduct 
the expedition ; he had been at the seat of 
government in April, where he had made ar- 
rangements for the campaign. His orders 
wer^ discretionary. 



# When Col. M c Arthur received orders to furnish Lis 
quota from his division, he addressed his fellow citizens, 
and after a handsome exposition of the causes and the ne- 
cessity of an appeal to arms, said, — " Volunteers from ev- 
ery part of the division will be accepted until the number 
required is made up. I shall myself be one of them. — 
Should the detachment from the second division thirik pro- 
per to honor me with the command, I will accept of it, 
otherwise I will cheerfully shoulder my^firelock sjid 
march in the rants." 

a2 





The governor addressed the troops in a style 
calculated to produce a deep impression ; he 
thanked them in the name of the president of 
the United States, and informed them that the. 
second army was organizing and would follow 
if necessary. 

Gen. Hull followed : — " In marching thro' 
a wilderness memorable for savage barbarity," 
said he, " you will remember the causes by 
which that barbarity has been heretofore ex- 
cited. In viewing the ground stained with 
the blood of your fellow citizens, it will be im- 
possible to suppress the feelings of indignation. 
Passing by the ruins of a fortress*, erected in 
our territory in times of profound peace, and 
for the express purpose of exciting the sava- 
ges to hostility and supplying them with the 
means of conducting a barbarous war, must 
remind you of that system of oppression and 
injustice which that nation has constantly prac- 
tised, and which the spirit of an indignant peo- 
ple can no longer endure." 

At the close of the general's speech, the- 
troops uncovered and gave six cheers as a tes- 
timonial of respect for their beloved chief ma- 
gistrate and their new commander. 

On the 27th gen. Hull pitched his tent in 



* Fort Miami, erected by the British in 1 792 ; its ru- 
ins are to be seen on the left bank of the Miami of th^ 
hikes, a little below Fort Meigs, 



camp Meigs, on the western bank of the river, 
and on the same day the United States' flag 
was hoisted. At the rising of the flag, the 
troops formed a hollow square around the 
standard, expressive of their determination, 
not to surrender it but with their lives. 

On this occasion Col. Cass said : 
" Fellow Citizens — 

" The standard of your country is display- 
ed. You have rallied round it to defend her 
rights and avenge her injuries. May it wave 
protection to our friends and defiance to our 
enemies : and should it ever meet in the hos- 
tile field, I doubt not that the eagle of liberty, 
which it bears will be found more than a match 
for the lion of England." 

The fourth regiment having joined general 
Hull, the army removed from Dayton on the 
1st of June, and commenced its march for De- 
troit. 

Gov. Meigs accompanied the army to TTr- 
banna, for the purpose of holding a council 
with 12 Indian chiefs of the lake tribes. It 
was agreed to renew the treaty of Greenville ; 
after smoaking the calumet of peace, both 
parties called on the Great Spirit to witness 
the sincerity of their professions. The In- 
dians appeared unusually friendly, gave per- 
mission to gen. Hull to march through their 



country, and to erect block houses every 20 

miles, which he did. 
4 

From Urbanna to the Rapids of Miami is 
150 miles. The route of the army was thro' 
a thick and almost trackless forest. As there 
were a great number of baggage waggons at- 
tached to the army, it became necessary to 
open a new road the whole distance! The 
soil of the land was moist, being in many pla- 
ces a perfect swamp. The weather was rainy 
and man and horse had to travel mid leg deep 
in mud. Frequently the van had to halt for 
the rear, which was as often detained in its 
march in relieving waggons and horses from 
the mire. 

Almost every officer and soldier of general 
Hull's army, with whom I conversed on the sub- 
ject, concurred in stating that the march of the 
army from Dayton to Detroit was as rapid as 
was practicable, considering the natural ob- 
stacles to be overcome. Most of them, how- 
ever, charge him with a vain show of military 
parade in passing small rivers. His plan of 
encampment, at night, was a holJow square, 
defended always by a temporary breast work 
of felled trees. The troops received no an- 
noyance from the enemy, on their march, if 
we except the wounding of a centinel, who 
was shot through both thighs. 

When the troops arrived at the Rapids of 



? 



9 

The Miami of the Lake?, the general put on 
board a small vessel the baggage and hospital 
stores of the army with 30 men and several of- 
iieers' wives, with directions to sail to Detroit. 
This was a fatal error ; for the British having 
been apprized of the declaration of war, cap- 
Hired the vessel at Maiden. Tims the army 
sustained a serious and irreparable loss ; it is 
even said that the general's trunk, containing 
his instructions and a copy of the declaration 
of war, was taken in the vessel. He had been 
previously notified of the existence of war 
with England ! 

The Americans reached Detroit on the 6th 
of July, after having patiently endured in- 
credible fatigue, and the privations peculiar 
to a march of 1 50 miles extent, through a 
wilderness. 

The inhabitants of the Michigan Territory, 
were pleased at the well-timed appearance of 
so numerous a force, but they regretted the 
choice made in the commander in chief. The 
general, while governor of the territory, had 
never been fortunate enough to command the 
popular confidence, though many of his offi- 
cial acts were certainly founded in political 
wisdom. However, 600 of the territorial mi- 
litia rallied under his standard, among whom, 
were one company of free blacks, mostly rene- 
gadoes from Kentucky. 



10 

On the evening of the 12th of July, gen. 
Hull crossed the river Detroit, at the head of 
more than 2000 men, and took possession of 
Sandwich, from which the enemy retreated at 
his approach. Here he fixed the American 
standard, & issued the following proclamation : 

Inhabitants of Canada ! 

After thirty years of peace and prosperity, 
the United States have been driven to arms. 
The injuries and aggressions, the insults and 
indignities of Great Britain have once more 
left them no alternative but manly resistance 
or unconditional submission. The army un- 
der my command has invaded your country > 
the standard of the Union now waves over the 
territory of Canada. To the peaceable un- 
offending inhabitants, it brings neither danger 
nor difficulty. I come to find enemies, not to 
make them. I come to protect, not to injure 
you. 

Separated by an immense ocean and an ex- 
tensive wilderness from Great Britain, you 
have no participation in her councils, no in- 
terest in her conduct. You have felt her ty- 
ranny, you have seen her injustice. But I do 
not ask you to avenge the one, or to redress 
the other. The United States are sufficiently 
powerful to afford every security consistent 
with their rights and your expectations. I 
tender you the invaluable blessing of civil, po- 



11 

1 Ureal and religions liberty, and their neces- 
sary result, individual and general prosperity ; 
that liberty which gave decision to our coun- 
cils, and energy to our conduct in a struggle 
ibr independence, — which conducted us safely 
and triumphantly through the stormy period 
of the revolution — that liberty which has rais- 
ed ns to an elevated rank among the nations 
of the world ; and which offered us a greater 
measure of peace and security, of wealth and 
improvement, than ever fell to the lot of any 
people. In the name of my country, and the 
authority of government, I promise you pro- 
tection to your persons, property and rights ; 
remain at your homes; pursue your peaceful 
and customary avocations ; raise not your 
.hands against your brethren. Many of your 
fathers fought for the freedom and indepen- 
dence we now enjoy. Being children there- 
fore of the same family with us, and heirs to 
the same heritage, the arrival of an army of 
friends must be hailed by you with a cordial 
welcome. You will be emancipated from ty- 
ranny and oppression, and restored to the dig- 
nified station of freedom. Had I any doubt 
of eventual success, 1 might ask your assist- 
ance, but I do not, I come prepared for every 
contingency. I have a force which will look 
down all opposition, and that force is but the 
Yanguard of a much greater — If, contrary to 
your own interest and the just expectation of 
my country, you should take part in the ap- 
proaching contest, you will be considered as 



12 

enemies, and the horrors and calamities of war 
will stalk r fore you. If the barbarous and 
savage policy of G. Britain be pursued, and the 
savages are let loose to murder our citizens 
and butcher even women and children, this 

WAR W ILL BE A WAR OF EXTERMINATION. The 

first stroke of the tomahawk — the first at- 
tempt with the scalping knife, will be the sig- 
nal of an indiscriminate scene of desolation. I\o 
white man found fighting by the side of an 
Indian will be taken prisoner— instant death 
will be his lot. If the dictates of reason, duty, 
justice and humanity cannot prevent the em- 
ployment of a force which respects no rights, 
and knows no wrong, it will be prevented by 
a severe and relentless system of retaliation. 
I doubt not your courage and firmness — 1 will 
not doubt your attachment to liberty. If you 
tender your services voluntarily, they will be 
accepted readily. The United States offer 
you peace, liberty and seem ity. Y our choice 
lies between these and war, slavery and de- 
struction. Choose then, but choose wisely ; 
and may he who knows the justice of our cause, 
and who holds in his hand the fate of nations 
guide you to a result the most compatible 
with your rights and interests, yom peace and 
happiness." 

This proclamation was w 7 ell. calculated to 
inspire confidence and secure the friendship 
of the Canadians, such indeed was its influence, 
that the greater pait of the militia in the ser 



io 



v ice of the crown, actually deserted and ei- 
ther retired to their homes or joined the Amer- 
ican army. 

However, when our army first made its ap- 
pearance on the Canada shore, the inhabitants 
were frightened and sought refuge in swamps 
and forests, from an enemy whom they w T ere 
taught to believe were more cruel and rapa- 
cious than savages; but when they perceived 
the troops were not disposed to injure their 
persons or property, they returned to their 
homes in full confidence of protection. 

The Indians appeared to hesitate in the 
choice of friends, being, no doubt, awed into 
neutrality by so sudden and unexpected a dis- 
play of American power on the north- western 
frontier. 

The troops were in high spirits, anxious to 
be led against the enemy's post at Fort Mai- 
den — at that time indefensible and feebly gar- 
risoned. The moment seemed favourable to 
strike an important, perhaps a decisive blow, 
American patriots throughout the Union 
were waiting with torturing impatience for the 
" glorious news !" that the stars and stripes 
waved over the ramparts of blood-stained 
Maiden. Alas! what a cruel disappointment 
"were they doomed to experience ! 

Col. M'Arthur was detached with about 150 

B 



14 

men to the river Thames, where he captured 
a considerable quantity of provisions, blankets, 
arms and ammunition. Another party was 
sent to Belle Donne, for the purpose of secu- 
ring several hundred merino sheep, the pro- 
perty of the Earl of Selkirk. These parties 
met with no opposition and were received in 
a friendly manner by the inhabitants. 

On the 15th Col. Cass was detached with 
280 men to reconnoitre the enemy's advanced 
posts. They were found in possession of the 
oridge over Aux Cannards river, 5 miles from 
Maiden. After making a suitable reconnois- 
ance of their position, that excellent officer 
ascended the river about 5 miles to a ford, and 
thence down on the south side, to the enemy 
whom he attacked and drove from their posi- 
tion. This was the first time since the revo- 
lution, that American militia had come in con- 
tact with British regulars. Our men moved 
to the attack with great spirit. Three times 
the enemy formed, and as often retreated. — ■ 
'Night compelled our troops to relinquish the 
pursuit. Col. Cass encamped on the scene of 
action during the night, and on the 18th 
returned to camp, without further molestation. 
If the enemy had been then in force, would 
they not have made him pay dear for his te- 
merity, for having thus dared to sleep with a 
small detachment, within less than 5 miles from 
their main depot of men and stores I 



15 

Other small detachments were occasionally 
sent clown to the river Aux Cannards, to dis- 
cover the force and position of the enemy ; 
the result was frequent skirmishing without 
material loss to either side. In one of those 
rencontres however, the Americans lost 7 
killed and 10 wounded. The horse of Col. 
M'Arthur was shot under him. The Queen 
Charlotte, which was at anchor off the mouth 
of the Aux Cannards, saluted our men with 
several broadsides. Col. M' Arthur and Capt. 
PuthofF, being on a reconnoitering excursion 
very narrowly escaped falling into an am- 
bush of the Indians. Such was the nature of 
the petite guerre maintained in Canada while 
our troops were in possession of Sandwich^ it 
had no visible object and served only to depress 
the ardor of our troops and encourage the en- 
emy. 

In the mean while Michilimackinac had 
surrendered to the enemy without resistance, 
a reinforcement of 400 regulars under the in- 
defatigable Brock, had arrived at Maiden, and 
numerous Indian chiefs began to take their 
ground. 

On the 4th of August Major Van Horn was 
detached with 200 men, principally riflemen, 
to proceed to the river Raisin, for the purpose 
of escorting a convoy of provisions to the ar- 
my. At Brownstown, a large body of Indians 
liad formed an ambuscade, and our troops re- 



16 

ceived a galling fire at the distance only of 50 
yards from the enemy. The whole detach- 
ment retreated in disorder. Major Van Horn 
made every exertion to rally them but in vain, 
our loss was seventeen killed — seven of whom 
were officers, 4 Captains and 3 Lieutenants. 

The names of the brave captains, who fell 
and whose bodies were shockingly mangled 
by the Indians, were Gilchrist, Uflery, M'Cujh 
lach and Bcerstler. 

" Alas ! nor wile nor children more shall they behold,, 
cor friends nor sacred heme." 

Tills gallant attempt having proved unsuc- 
cessful, Col. Miller was d tac ed on the 8th 
with 600 men, to open tie < om uunication, and 
protect the provisions vhicn were under the 
escort of Capt. Brush. Tue detachment con- 
sisted of regulars and Ohio and Michigan vol- 
unteers. On the 9th about 4 o'clock P. M. 
the vanguard, commanded by capt. Snelling, 
was fired upon by an extensive line of British 
troops and Indians at the lower end of the vil- 
lage of Maguago, 14 miles from Detroit. At 
this time the main body were marching in two 
columns at the distance of half a mile. Capt, 
Snelling maintained his position in a most gal- 
lant manner, under a very heavy fire, until 
the line was formed and advanded to his re- 
lief, when the whole, excepting the rearguard, 
was brought into action. The enemy were 
formed behind a breast work of foiled trees; 



17 

which they had been several days preparing;. 
The moment Col. Miller had brought up bis 
troops in line, the enemy sprang from their 
hiding places and formed in line of battle. A 
scene that would appal the stoutest heart now 
presented itself. The Americans had to con- 
tend with a force one third greater than their 
own. Five hundred Indians almost entirely 
naked, were fighting on almost every side, led 
on and encouraged by British officers and sa- 
vage chiefs. But American valor rose supe- 
rior to every thing. Our troops charged and 
drove the enemy inch by inch, 2 miles, to the 
village of Brownstown, where the British took 
to their boats and the Indians to the woods. 
When the enemy were in full rout, Col. Mil- 
ler directed a troop of cavalry to charge and 
cut them up — but they could not be made to 
advance, although capt. Snelling offered to 
head them in person. This cowardice of the 
cavalry alone saved the enemy from total de- 
struction, for the British were in complete dis- 
order and their guns unloaded. 

Col. Miller having thus opened the way, 
was determined to push on to the river Raising 
but received a peremptory order from Gen. 
Hull to return to Detroit, whichhe obeyed the 
day after the battle. On their return towards 
Detroit, our troops were frequently fired up- 
on from the brig Hunter, which took several 
positions for that purpose ; even the wounded 

132 



18 

who were conveyed in waggons, were inhu- 
manly fired upon. 

The allies lost in the battle of Maguago^ 
about one hundred killed and twice that num- 
ber wounded. They were commanded by 
major Muir of the British regulars, who was 
wounded. Tecumseh, Marpot and Walk-in- 
the-Water, directed the Indians. 

The Americans-had 18 killed and 58 wound- 
ed : thus was much blood spilt without achiev- 
ing the object of the detachment.. Too much 
praise cannot be bestowed on the officers and 
men generally, engaged in that conflict. CoL 
Miller proved himself by his courage and ju- 
dicious arrangements, equal to a more respon- 
sible command. Capt. Baker was wounded 
in the leg. Lieutenant Larabee lost an arm* 
These officers distinguished themselves.-^— 
Capts. Delandre and Brevoort, of the Michi- 
gan volunteers conducted in a brave and sol- 
dier-like manner. 

At length, after a lapse of almost four weeks*, 



* The pretext for remaining from the 12th of July till 
the 8th of August, a period of twenty seven days, inactive 
in Canada,was the construction of gun carriages. The gen- 
eral says in his official dispatch to the secretary of war, 
dated Sept. 16, 1812, that " the greatest industry was ex- 
erted in making preparations [to attack Maiden] and it 
was not until the 7th of August that two 24 pounders and 
three howitzers were prepared." Here then the wholQ 
a\my r except those on detachments, and all the aarpenv 



19 

the cannon were mounted and every prepa- 
ration made for an immediate investment of 
Maiden. At a council, at which were pre- 
sent all the field officers, says col. Cass in his 
official letter to the secretary of war, and 
which was held two days before the prepara- 
tions were completed, it was universally a- 
.greed to make an attempt to accomplish the 
object of the expedition. If, by waiting two 
days, they could have the service of their 
heavy artillery, it was agreed to wait, if not, 
it was determined to go without it, and attempt 
the place by storm. This opinion appeared 
to correspond with the views of the command- 
er in chief, and the day was appointed for 
commencing their march. Gen. Hull declar- 
ed to the officers that he considered himself 
pledged to lead the army to Maiden. The 
ammunition was placed in the waggons ; the 



ters of the Michigan Territory and of Sandwich, were in. 
dustriously employed 27 long summer days, in mounting 
five carriage guns ! What an outrage on common sense I 
But let us hear the sequel ! " The clouds of adversity 
thickened and the two senior officers of the artillery stated 
an opinion that it would be extremely difficult, if not im- 
possible, to pass the Turkey river and the river Aux Can- 
nards with the 24 pounders." It follows, consequently, 
that the mill was built, without first ascertaining whether 
or not the water could be conducted to it ! Tw r nty-seven 
days were consumed in mountiug five carriage guns, and 
lo ! they are useless ! thay cannot be got across the rivers 
Turkey and Aux Cannards ! which, in fact, are no rivers 
at all ; besides we had been in possession of the bridges 
and were at all times superior to the enemy. 



20 

cannon were placed on board the floating bat- 
teries, and every requisite article was prepar- 
ed. The spirit and zeal, the ardor and ani- 
mation displayed by the officers and men, on 
learning the near accomplishment of their 
wishes was a sure and sacred pledge, (hat in 
the hour of trial they would not be found 
wanting to their country and themselves. 

But Gen. Hull abandoned the plan of at- 
tacking Maiden, broke up his camp, evacua- 
ted Canada and recrossed the river on the 
night of the 8th of August, without the shad- 
ow of an enemy to injure him. 

The Canadians, who had joined the Ameri- 
can army were abandoned to the vengeance of 
their old masters. The confidence of the ar- 
my in its general was destroyed. 

The commander in chief had even spoken 
of a capitulation, but his field officers had de- 
termined, as a last resort, to incur the respon- 
sibility of divesting him of his command ; but 
this measure was prevented, either by a respect 
for military discipline, or by two of the com- 
manding officers of regiments (M f Arthur and 
Cass) being ordered upon detachments. 

The " clouds of adversity" which had been 
for some time gathering, now assumed a more 
threatening aspect. 



21 

Shortly after the Americans retreated from 
Canada, General Brock, who well knew how 
to avail himself of every advantage, advanc- 
ed from Maiden and took a position directly 
opposite Detroit, where without the least in- 
terruption, he was permitted to establish a 
battery, and that too, at a time when the Amer- 
icans were decidedly superior in numerical 
force. 

On the 14th of August Cols. M< Arthur and 
Cass were ordered to select 400 of their best 
men for the purpose of securing Capt. Brush 
and the convoy of provisions still at the river 
Raisin. This detachment were to take a cir- 
cuitous route ; but the effort proved abortive, 
for on the evening of the 16th they received or- 
ders from gen. Mull to return will) all possible 
expedition. 

On the 15th, an officer arrived from 
Sandwich, bearing a flag of truce from gene- 
ral Brock, demanding the surrender of De- 
troit, and stating that he could no longer re- 
strain the fury of the savages ! To this an im- 
mediate and spirited refusal was returned. 
Shortly after the enemy opened their batte- 
ries upon the town. The lire was returned 
and continued without interruption till dark. 

At day light the firing on both sides recom- 
menced. About the same time the enemy 
began to land troops at the. spring-wells, three 



22 

miles below Detroit. At seven o'clock they 
had completed their landing and immediate- 
ly took up their line of march. The y mov- 
ed in close column of platoons, 12 in front, 
upon the bank of the river. 

The 4th regiment was stationed in the front, 
the Ohio volunteers and a part of the Michi- 
gan militia behind a line of pickets, in a situa- 
tion to gall the whole flank of the enemy. — 
The residue of the Michigan militia were in 
the upper part of the town to resist the incur- 
isions of the savages. The 24 pounders load- 
ed with grape shot, were posted upon a com- 
manding eminence, ready to sweep the advan- 
cing column. In this situation, our troops in 
the eager expectation of victory, awaited the 
approach of the enemy. Not a sigh broke 
upon the ear, not a look of cowardice met the 
eye. Every man expected a proud day for 
his country, and each was anxious to perform 
his duty. 

• When the head of the hostile column had 
arrived within about 500 yards of the Ameri- 
can line, general Hull ordered the whole to 
retreat to the fort, and the 24 pounders not to 
fire upon the enemy ! One universal burst of 
indignation was apparent upon the receipt of 
this order. The folly and impropriety of 
crowding 1100 men into a little work, which 
300 could fully man, and into which the shot 
and shells of the enemy were falling, was pai- 



23 

pabie. But the fort was in this manner filled, 
and the men directed to stack their arms ! 
Shortly after a white flag was hung out upon 
the walls. A British officer rode up to en- 
quire the cause. A communication passed be- 
tween the commanding generals, which result- 
ed in the surrender of Detroit and the whole, 
Michigan Territory, to the British arms !* 

All the American troops, not only those in 
the fort, but the detachment of Cols. M< Ar- 
thur and Cass, and the troops under captain 
Brush, amounting in the whole to more than 
2000 men, were, in the articles of capitulation, 
pronounced prisoners of war. 

There was surrendered with the fort, 39 
pieces of cannon, 2500 stand of arms, with a 
considerable quantity of military stores and 
provisions. The United States' brig Adams, 
of 6 guns fell into the hands of the enemy. 

That the American army were superior to 



* There is a direct contradiction of the causes which 
led to the surrender of Detroit, ia the official letters of 
general Hull and Col. Cass. The misfortune gave rise to 
much speculation, much regret and violent censure. I 
never saw a single individual of gen. Hull's army, but 
what fully coroborated the statement of col. Cass in all its 
particulars. There is but one individual sentiment on 
this head, in the Michigan Territory. Every one affirms 
that there existed no cause for the surrender. The event 
came like a clap of thunder on the inhabitants; no one had 
anticipated it. 



24 

the enemy in point of numbers, is proved by 
the statements of col. Cass, and capt. Dobbin, 
as well as the official account of of gen. Brock. 

The indignant aspect of our troops, after 
the surrender, alarmed the British commander 
so much, that he evinced the utmost solicitude 
to get rid of them, by sending them off imme- 
diately, in different directions, dismissing ma- 
ny without even asking their parole. The 
Ohio volunteers were landed at Cleveland. 
The remnant of the brave 4th regiment were 
sent to Quebec, and experienced the most bru- 
tal treatment 

The consequences, of the surrender of gen. 
Hull's army are pot to be all described within 
the limits of this work. .The wide scene of 
flight and misery? of blood and desolation, 
which followed this disastrous event, is at 
once beyond the descriptive powers of the 
writer and the conception of the reader. The 
whole north-western frontier of Ohio was laid 
open to savage incursion. 

The chagrin of disappointment, added to 
the serious loss of a fine army, cast a tempo- 
rary gloom over the whole union, but this sen- 
timent soon subsided, and all felt the necessity 
of imnflediate action. Pennsylvania and Vir- 
ginia, ^Kentucky and Ohio, ail felt eager to 
wipe awa> the deep stain on om national char- 
acter. Volunteers every where presented 



themselves, and but a short period elapsed be 
fore an army was ready, as if by magic, to re- 
trieve the fortune of arms. A leader was 
wanting — all eyes looked, with a common im- 
pulse upon the hero of Tippecannoe ; the uni- 
ted voice of the people of the west called on 
the governor of Kentucky to dispense with all 
formalities, and general William Henri/ Har- 
rison, was bre vetted a major general, with di- 
rections to take command of the north-western 
army. £ 

Fortunately at the very instant of general 
Hull's surrender, a brigade of Kentucky vol- 
unteers and some regulars, under gen. Payne, 
were on their march to reinforce the north- 
western army ; but the movements of this 
corps were by no means as rapid as they ought 
to have been. If this officer did not prevent, 
as most probable he might have done, the fall 
of Detroit he was in a situation to arrest in 
some measure the inroads of the enemy into 
Ohio. 

About this time news was received of the 
evacuation of fort Dearborn, situated at the 
south end of lake Michigan* and of the massa- 
cre of the garrison* On the 1 5th of August 
capt. Heald abandoned the fort and commen- 
ced his march for fort Wayne. The party 
was accompanied oy 100 Confute Indians. — 
They had not marched more than half a mile, 
Mien they were attacked by 600 Kickapoo 

C 



26 

and Winnebago Indians. The Confutes im- 
mediately joined the enemy. The contest 
lasted but ten minutes, when every man, wo- 
man and child, amounting to 123 souls, were 
killed except 15 who were carried into cap* 
I ivity. 

On the 3d of September, the Indians made 
a furious assault on Foils Harrison. They 
kept up a brisk fire the whole night, and one 
time had actually succeeded in making a 
breach in the defences of the place. The roots 
of the buildings were several times oh fire ; 
one of the block houses was burnt. Captain 
Taylor, however, succeeded in defending the 
post and finally beat them off; The scene 
was enough to try the soul of a hero, j There 
were but 18 effective men in the fort, and two 
of .them, in a moment of despair, leapt the 
pickets to escape. The night was dark — the 
raging of the fire — the yelling of several hun- 
dred savages, and the cries of the women, 
were sufficient to excite terror in the stoutest 
heart. For this heroic defence, capt. Taylor 
was shortly afterwards promoted to a majority 
by the president. 

Early in September, a large British and In- 
dian force left Maiden to lay waste the fron- 
tiers of Ohio. Fort Wayne was the leading 
point of attack. 

On the 4th of September, gen. Harrisort 



27 

arrived at Urbanna and assumed the 
command of the north-western army. The 
Rapids of the Miami of the Lakes, were fixed 
upon as the point of concentration, the several 
corps of which were to move in the following 
directions ;— *2000 Pennsylvania volunteers, 
under brigadier general Crooks, were to move 
from Pittsburgh along the shores of lake Erie ; 
general Tupper's brigade of Ohio volunteers 
were to take Hull's route from Urbanna to 
the Rapids ; 1500 Virginians, under brig. gen. 
Leftwich, were to take the same route, when- 
ever they should arrive. General Payne's bri- 
gade of Kentucky volunteers, with the 17th 
United States' regiment, col. Wells, were to 
advance to fort Wayne and descend the Mi- 
ami ; such was the disposition of the forces 
which were to constitute the new army. 

A considerable Indian force appeared be- 
fore Fort Wayne on the 5th. They invested 
the place closely for several days ; they burnt 
the United States' factory and many other 
valuable houses. A brother of gov. Meigs 
and two soldiers were killed near the fort. 

Gen. Harrison marched with the brigade of 
gen. Payne and the regulars to relieve fort 
Wayne — the enemy fled at his approach. 

There was now a favourable moment for 
making the Indians feel the effects of the war. 
An expedition was accordingly projected 



28 

against several towtis within two days march 
of that place. The whole force Was divided 
and placed under the command of general 
Payne and col. Wells. The former was di- 
rected to destroy the Miami towns at the forks 
of the Wabash ; and the latter to go against 
the Potawaiamie villages at Elk Hart. 

The commander in chief accompanied gen. 
Payne on the expedition : four of the Miami 
villages were burnt, three of which were re- 
markably flourishing. All their corn Was cut 
up and piled, in order that it might rot befora 
%he enemy could return to prevent it. Col. 
Wells was equally successful ; he destroyed 
several villages and returned to camp with- 
out loss. 

At this time general Winchester arrived at 
fort Wayne and general Harrison resigned the 
command of the detachment under gen. Payne 
and col. Wells, to him, in obedience to the ar- 
rangements of the war department, Conside- 
rable discontent and murmuring was observa- 
ble among the troops when they were inform- 
ed of the change ; but on being addressed by 
fen. Harrison, tl ey appeared better satisfied. 
le assured them that if any thing could soften 
the regret which he felt at parting with men 
who had so entirely won his confidence and 
affection, it was the circumstance of his com- 
mitting them to the charge of one of the heroes 
of the revolution, a man distinguished as well 



29 

tag the services he had rendered his country* 
as for the possession of every qualification 
which constitutes the gentleman. 

The conduct of the troops was highly hon- 
orable to their character as soldiers : for ten 
days, while on active and severe duty, they 
had scarcely a sufficiency of food to sustain 
them, and entirely without some articles of 
the ration — and that too without complaint 
and with an alacrity which only could have ; 
been expected from veteran troops. But such 
was their personal attachment to gen. Harri- 
son, that they would have suffered almost any 
fatigue or privation without a murmur. 



An order of the secretary of war, invested 
general Harrison with the command of all the . 
troops, excepting the corps of gen. Winches- 
ter ! Tin's equality in the authority of the two 
generals was liable to much collision and 
might have produced, between two officers of 
co-equal powers, and possessing less magna- 
nimity, serious consequences to the nation. — . 
The rank of major general was confirmed to 
gen. Harrison by the president ; still that of 
gen. Winchester possessed priority of date,, 
and gen. Harrison was to command the largest 
force. The troops considered general Harrison 
commander in chief. 

The war department, on this occasion at 
least, performed its duty t) the full extent of 

c2 



30 

its ability ; every thing requisite for the sup- 
ply of an -army was forwarded with all practi- 
cable expedition. 

One circumstance, above all, must not be 
overlooked. The greater part of the volunteers 
now concentrating under gen. Harrison, con^ 
sisted of men whose families and property 
were not exposed to danger, and who, conse- 
quently, were influenced by the most disinter- 
ested patriotism. Col. R. M. Johnson, a mem- 
ber of congress, from Kentucky, who has since 
so nobly distinguished himself, was among 
the foremost. — Gen. Harrison fixed his head- 
quarters at St. Marys ; gen. Winchester ad- 
vanced to fort Defiance. He found the ene- 
my in possession of the ground and too strong 
for his force ; he dispatched an express to gen. 
Harrison, who immediately marched to his as- 
sistance with 2000 mounted riflemen and 
musketeers all furnished with 3 days provisi- 
ons. In the mean time, however, the enemy 
had suddenly decamped and descended the 
Miami. Our troops went in pursuit but could 
not overtake them. This was the expedition 
from Maiden ; they had several field pieces. 
Tecumseh commanded the Indians. 

The attention of the commanding general 
Tvas now for some time confined to arranging 
depots of provisions, ammunition and clothing, 
in opening roads, building boats and erecting 
block-houses, preparatory to the march of the 



31 

army to the object of the campaign. His ex- 
ertions were indefatigable. 

On the 4th of October brigadier gen. Tup- 
per received orders to proceed to the rapids 
with the whole of the mounted force, in condi- 
tion for service ; but in consequence of the 
counter orders of gen. Winchester, the move- 
ment was not executed. Gen. Tupper made 
an exposition of the causes which produced 
the failure of the expedition. This exposition 
very clearly proved that both Winchester and 
Tupper were incapable of command. 

On the 25th of November the celebrated 
partisan chief, Log an*, died of his wounds.^ — 

, * He in company with capt. Johnney and Brighthorn, 
had beeu sent by gen. Winchester to make discoveries at 
the rapids. They had not proceeded but a few miles., 
when they were taken prisoners by five Indians, under 
Winnemac and a son of col. Elliott. Logan told them 
they had come to join them : this induced them to permit 
Logan and his associates to carry their arms and tomarch 
before them. Logan determined to rescue himself or die 
in the attempt ; he communicated his intentions to his 
comrades and when a suitable opportunity offered, they 
turned upon their enemy and each one brought his man to 
the ground ; the remaining three fired upon Logan's par- 
ty and wounded Logan and Brighthorn. Logan, although 
mortally wounded, exchanged a second shot with the ene- 
my, when he and Brighthorn jumped upon the horses of 
two of those they had just slain, and left capt. Johnney to 
cover the retreat, which he did in a gallant manner, after 
having scalped Winnemac. Winnemac was the chief that 
commanded at Tippecanoe; "Young Elliot was among the 



32 

This loss was regretted by the whole army- 
He was a brave and enterprising warrior, sin- 
cerely attached to the Americans, and posses- 
sed a powerful influence over the Indians. 

On the 8th of November a detachment of 
600 men, commanded by col. Campbell, left 
Franklinton on an expedition against the Mi- 
ami Indians, living on the head waters of the. 
Wabash. On the I7tl>ofDec. they arrived 
at one of the Missassinway villages, surprized, 
filled 5 warriors and took 37 prisoners, They 
burnt 3 other villages 3 miles further down 
the river, and then returned to the first town 
destroyed, and encamped. About an hour be- 
fore the dawn of day, they were attacked in 
Camp. The fire commenced on the right 
line, commanded by major Ball, who sustain- 
ed and returned it till day light, when the In- 
dians were charged and dispersed with the loss 
of 30 killed. Our loss was 8 killed and 25 
wounded — several mortally. A great number 
of horses were killed, several officers were 
wounded ; lieutenant Waltz, of the Pennsyl- 
vania troop was shot through the arm, but not 
satisfied, he again attempted to mount his 
horse, and in making the effort, was shot tin o v 
the head. The prisoners weFe treated with 
humanity, even the warriors who ceased to 
resist, were spared, which is not the usual cus- 

elain — bis body was afterward? taken up by his father, and 
conveved to Maiden, 



»r 



33 

torn in expeditions against the Indians. The 
sufferings of the men iio?n cold, hunger and fa-r 
tigue, on theii retieat from iviississinway, 
were beyond measure. They were in the 
centre of an Indian country. The terrible 
TecumseU was known to be within a few hours 
march. I ne sick and wounded Were to be 
carried on litters ; their march was slow, tedious 
and circumspect. At night only half of the 
men could sleep, while the other were on 
guard. They suffered greatly from the in- 
clemency of the weather ; numbers were frost 
bitten. Pleurisy and bad colds aiiiicted al- 
most the whole corps. Why the Indians suf- 
fered them to escape total destruction, is un- 
accountable. Perhaps the death of their cel- 
ebrated Prophet, who is supposed to have been 
killed in this affair, was the cause of their not 
harrassing eur men in their retreat. 

The officers of major Ball's squadron, who 
sustained the brunt of the action and who were 
complimentecl by general Harrison, in a gen- 
eral order, for their valor and good conduct, 
were major Ball, captains Hopkins and Gar- 
rard of Kentucky ; captains Markle and M'- 
Clelland, of Pennsylvania, 

On the 14th of December the left wing of 
the army moved from fort Winchester to the 
Rapids. At this time the Ohio troops were 
at fort M' Arthur — the Petthsylvanians at 
Mansfield and the Virginians at Delaware.-— 



34 

General Harrison fixed his head-quarters afc 
U pper Sandusky. The provisions and i nilit a- 
ry stores, and the trains of artillery having 
reached the different depots, the hopes of the 
nation, that victory would soon crown the ef- 
forts of the north-western army, were cherish- 
ed in confidence. 

On the 14th of January, col. Lewis advan- 
ced towards the river Raisin. On the 18th he 
found the enemy in force, and disposed to dis- 
pute the possession of the place. He attack- 
ed them in the town ; on the first onset the sa- 
vages raised their accustomed yell.. But the 
noise was drowned in the returning shouts of 
the assailants. They advanced boldly to the 
charge and drove them in all directions. On 
the first fire sixteen of the Indians fell — about 
40 were killed. Cok Lewis' party lost 32 kil- 
led and 52 wounded. 

On the 18th gen. Winchester followed with 
a reinforcement, and concentrated his troops* 
amounting to 800 men, at the village of French- 
town — 600 of which were posted behind a pick- 
et fence — 200 which composed the right wing 
were encamped in an open field entirely un- 
covered. 

On the 22d they were attacked fc>y a com- 
bined British force under Teeumseh and 
Proctor. The attack commenced on the right 
wing at beating of reveille. Our troops-were 



35 

Immediately ready for the reception of the 
enemv. The right wing sustained the shock 
for about 20 minutes, when overpowered by 
numbers, they retreated over the river and 
were met by a large body of Indians, who had 
been stationed in their rear. This partly find- 
ing their retreat cut off, resolved to sell their 
lives as dear as possible, and fought despe- 
rately — few of these escaped. The left wing 
with Spartan valor, maintained their ground 
within their pickets. The enemy's regulars 
made three different charges upon them ; they 
advanced in platoons to charge the pickets, 
keeping up a brisk me. Our men within the 
pickets, with the most determined bravery 
and presence of mind reserved their fire until 
Uie enemy advanced within point blank shot. 
They then opened a cross fire upon them — . 
their pieces Well levelled— and in this manner 
mowed down his ranks till he retreated in coir 
fusion. 

Gen. Winchester and Col. Lewis had bcea 
taken prisoners in an early paii of the battle, 
in attempting to rally the right wing. At 11, 
o'clock a flag arrived from general Winches- 
ter to maj. Madison, who commanded in the 
pickets, informing our men he had surrender- 
ed them prisoners of war and requested their 
compliance ; w T hereupon a capitulation took 
place, and they were immediately marched off 
for Maiden. The Americans lost nearly 400 
men in killed wounded and missing. Among 



36 

the officers, col. Allen and captains Hickman, 
Simpson, (a member of congress) Mead, Ed- 
wards, Price and M'Cracken, 

During the whole of the action a heavy can- 
nonade was kept up by six pieces of artillery* 
The courage of men was never more severely 
tested. The party that retreated at the com- 
mencement of the battle, were pursued, sur- 
rounded, and literally cut to pieces. Some 
succeeded in getting three miles from the 
scene of action, but were overtaken and mas- 
sacreed. The snow was crimsoned the whole 
distance with the blood of the fugitives. 

After the capitulation, the American com- 
manding officer remonstrated with general 
Proctor, on the necessity of protecting the 
wounded prisoners from the fury of the sava- 
a£es : that officer pledged himself to attend 
to it, but he forgot to keep his word; they 
were left without the promised protection, and 
on the morning of the 23d, horrible to relate, 
the allies of a christian king, stripped, scalp- 
ed, tomahawked and burnt all of them who 
were unable to walk*. 



* The fate of capt. Hart was peculiarly distressing. — 
He had received a flesh wound and particularly distin- 
guished himself by his 'undaunted bravery. Alter the ca- 
pitulation, cayt. Elliot, who had been a class-mate with 
him at Princetown college, waited on capt. Hart, and un- 
solicited, promised hin- his pit toc'.ion, declaring that the 
next moroiugi he would have him takeu to his own bo\M 



31 

The dead were denied the rites of sepul- 
ture if the living were treated with the great- 
est indignity. The prisoners were generally 
stripped of their clothing, rifled of their cash, 

at Maiden, where he should remain until his recovery. — 
But Elliot broke Iris promise and left him to his fate ! On 
the nest clay, a band of savages came info the house 
where he was confined, and tore him from his bed. But 
he bargained with one of them and gave him a considera- 
ble sum of money to have himself taken to Maiden. They 
set oft*', and after travelling as far as the river Aux Sablee, 
(hey were met by a fresh band of Indians, who shot the 
captain upon his horse, and tomahawked and scalped him ! 
Numbers were put to deatli after they had been several 
days in custody. At Sandy Creek an Indian approached 
a volunteer of the name of Biythe and proposed to ex- 
change his mocasij?s for Blythe's shoes — with this he read- 
ily complied; after this they exchanged hats; the Indian 
then raised his tomahawk and struck Biythe on the shoul- 
der which cut into the cavity of his body : Biythe then 
caught hold of (he tomahawk and attempted to resist, but 
on one of his fellow prisoners telling him that his fate was 
fixed, he closed his eyes and received the savage blow 
that terminated his existence. Hamilton deposed that 
when the prisoners were marching from Raisin to Detroit, 
they came up to where one of the prisoners was burning, 
the life just expiring, and an Indian kicking the ashes ofi 
his back. For further particulars the reader is directed 
to consult " Barbarities rf the Enemy," recently published 
ia Troy by Mr. Adancourt, arid containing the oflic al de- 
tails of these outrages against nature and humanity. 

* 1 was told by several of the inhabitants of French- 
town, while at Detroit, that they had frequently «een the 
hogs and dogs devouring the bodies of the Americans and 
that it was not uncommon to see them running about with 
skulls, legs, arms and other parts of the human system in 
their mouths. 

n 



mid the swords of the officers given to the 
ravages. Men whose education, talents and 
character ought to have entitled themlo res> 
peet, had their feelings grossly outraged. 

The advance of general Winchester to the 
river Raisin, was not authorized 1 y the orders 
of general Harrison ; the motives of the gen- 
eral were 'no doubt good, but to his impru- 
dence is -attributed the failure of the campaign. 
He was induced to make the movement in 
uonsequenee of the earnest solicitude of the 
inhabitants of that place, wlio were threatened 
with a general massacre by the Indians. 

As soon as general Harrison learnt the ex- 
posed situation of gen. Winchester's corps, he 
>rde rod a detachment from gen. Perkins' bri- 
gade under col. Cotgreaves, to march with all 
possible expedition to his relief— but so much 
i ime was spent in preparation, that k only ar- 
rived in hearing distance at the commence- 
ment of the battle, and then suddenly retraced 
its steps. 

W by a commanding officer, situated as gen. 
Winchester was, within a few hours march of 
Alalden, and liable every moment to be sur- 
prized, should sutler his men to be encamped 
in detached and opposed situations, in the 
manner they were, is a question not yet ex- 
plained. The night before the battle a French- 
man arrived from Maiden, and infouned that 



39 

tile enemy had commenced their march. Thfe 
information, which was made known to gen. 
Winchester, was disregarded. His quarters 
were 3 or 100 yartfe from camp. He did not 
arrive at the seeneof action till the right wing 
had begun to give way. 

I cannot forbear to notice in this place a 
circumstance that reflects the greatest Lustre 
on the military character of the Kerituckians. 
On their march from fort Defiance to the Rap- 
ids, the horses were worn out and nearly fam- 
ished for want of forage. The men them- 
selves, were destitute of many articles of the 
first necessity. Yet these circumstances did 
not in the least damp their ardor. When the 
horses were no longer able to draw, these gal- 
lant. sons of. Mars harnessed themselves- to the 
sleds, and in this manner, with cheerfulness 
and alacrity, conveyed their baggage sixty 
miles through frost and snow — thus, manifest- 
ing an intrepidity of character which rivals 
that of Greece or Rome. 

Yet these were men, whose homes, for 1h$ 
most part, were the scats of elegance and 
wealth — but their spirits were not to be broken 
by adversity. Notwithstanding they were 
compelled to travel on foot and with scarce- 
ly a covering for their backs, in the dead of 
winter, from Maiden to Buffalo, and from 
tiience to Kentucky, a distance of 800 miks, 
still, not a murmur escaped their lips ! Their. 



40 • 

honest hearts sprung forward with* the elastic 
hope, that their wrongs would be avenged and 
the day of retribution arrive. 

After the defeat of gen, Winchester, gen. 
Harrison retreated from the Rapids 1 8 miles^ 
and took a position at Portage river. It being 
found impracticable to remove all the provisi- 
on^ a considerable quantity was destroyed. 

On the 30th gen. Harrison dispatched capt, 
Lamont, Doctor M'Keehan and a Frenchman 
with a flag of truce to Maiden, They encamp- 
ed the first night neer the Rapids, and hoisted 
the white ilag ; but this was not respected — ■ 
the Indians fired upon them while asleep; kil- 
led Lamont, wounded .Dr. M'Keeban and took 
the Doctor and the Frenchman prisoners. 

Governor Meigs having promptly ordered 
out two regiments of Ohio militia, to reinforce 
gen. Harrison : the army again advanced to 
the Rapids and commenced building fort 
Meigs. Gen. Crook's hrit ade in the meantime 
were busily employed in fortifying at Upper 
Sandusky. 

General Harrison having learnt that a body 
of Indians were collected at I re que Isle, near 
the mouth of the Miami, inarched from his 
camp at the Rapids, on the 9th of February, 
at the head of a detachment of his army, to at- 
tack them. The enemy fled — our troops pur 



41 

!*ued almost to the river Raisin, but finding h 
impossible to overtake them, the troops re- 
turned to camp much exhausted with fatigue. 
Such was their desire to come up with the foe 
that they marched GO miles in 2.1 hours. 

On the 27th of February, a detachment of 
] 50 men, under capt. Langham, left the Rapids 
for the purpose of destroying the Queen 
Charlotte, near Maiden — the ice was found 
too far decayed to accomplish the object of 
the expedition. 

On the 15th of April a desperate rencontre 
took place on the Miami, a few miles below 
fort Meigs, between ten Frenchmen, from the 
river Raisin, and about an equal number of In- 
dians, both parties were in canoes, and they 
maintained the fight till the greater part on 
both sides were either killed or wounded. 

The army were now engaged incessantly 
in strengthening the posts of fort Meigs, Up- 
per Sandusky and fort Stephenson. General 
Harrison left the army for the purpose of con- 
sulting with gov. Meigs, and for expediting 
the march of the reinforcements. No event 
of moment occurred during the remainder of 
the winter. 

In March, workmen began to cut timber at 
Erie, for the purpose of building two 20 <rur 

u2 



12 

brigs — the requisite number of ship-car pen- 
ters arrived at that place. 

The term of service of the greater part of 
* he militia composing the north-western army, 
having expired, new levies, from Ohio and 
Kentucky, were ordered on, to supply- their 
places. But these not arriving in se-ason, the 
Pennsylvania brigade generously volunteered 
their services for another month, to defend 
fort Meigs, which was menaced with an attack. 
This conduct was the more honorable, as this* 
corps had undergone incredible hardships 
during the winter, in dragging the artillery 
and stores from Sandusky to -the.. Rapids*.. 



* A private in the Petcrsburgh volunteers, draws the 
following picture of a soldier's life : It describes the march 
of his company at the time of Winchester's defeat.- — * ; On 
the second day of our march a courier arrived from gen. 
Harrison, ordering the artillery to advance with all pos* 
sible speed ; this was rendered totally impossible by the 
snow which took place, it being a complete swamp nearly, 
all the war. On the evening of the same day ne v.s arri- 
ved that gen. Harrison had retreated to Portage river, 18 
miles in the rear of the encampment at the Rapids. As 
mnny men as* could be spared determined to proceed im- 
mediately to reinforce him. It is unnecessary to state- 
that ye were among theiirstwho wished to advance. At 
2 o'clock the next morning, our tents were struck, and in 
half an hour we were on the road. I will candidly con* 
fess, that on that day I regretted being a soldier, On 
that day we marched thirty miles, under an incessant 
rain ; and I am afraid you will doubt my veracity when 
I tell you, that in 8 miles of the best of the road, it took 
us over the knees and often to the middle. Tht. Black 



43 

On. the 20th of April, gen. Harrison return- 
ed to fort Meigs and began to prepare for the 
approaching storm. Patrol ing parties were 
frequently sent out to discover the movements 
of the enemy, who had .been discovered on 
the margin of the hike,. 

On the 26th the advance of the enemy made 
its appearance on the opposite shore, and af- 
ter reconnoitring a few minutes, withdrew. — 
On the 27th they returned, but were soon 
made to retire by the balls from the fort. 
Ever since the general had arrived hi camp, 
the greatest diligence was displayed by the 
officers and soldiers. Fortifications of vari- 



Swamp.(4 nuies from Portage rjvciyand 4 mile's 4n t!u? ex- 
tent) would have been considered impassable by all but 
men determined to surmount every difficulty to accom- 
plish the object of their maroh. In this swamp you lose 
big-ht of terra firma altogether — the water Mas about 
inches deegon the ice, which was very rotten, often break- 
ing through to the depth of four or five feet. 

" The same night we encampjtd on very wet pound, 
but the driest' that could be found 1 , *fre rain still continuing. 
It was with difficulty wo could raise ifrcs; -we bad ko 
tent?, our clothes were wet, no axes, nothing to- cook in, 
and very little to eat. A brigade of pack-horses being 
near us, we procured from them some (lour, kiNcd a hog, 
(there being plenty of them along the road ;) our bread 
was baked in the ashe?, and the pork we broiled on the 
coals — a sweeter meal I never partook of. When we 
went to sleep, it was on two logs laid close to each other, 
to keep our bodies from- the damp ground. Good God! 
what a pliant being is man in adversity. Tire loftiest 
spirit that ever inhabited the human breast would have 
been tamed amid the difficulties that surrounded us/' 



44 

ons descriptions were carried on with UHpar- 
allelled exertions. Every moment of the gem 
was occupied in directing the works. He ad- 
dressed the men in a most masterly and elo- 
quent manner, on the situation in which the 
fortune of war had placed them, and of the im- 
portance of every man's being vigilent and in- 
dustrious at his post. r J v his address converted 
every man into a hero ; it inspired them with 
a zeal, courage and patriotism never surpass- 
ed. 

On the 28th the enemy commenced a very 
brisk fire of small arms — in the evening the 
Indians were conveyed over the river in beats 
and surrounded the garrison in every direc- 
tion. Several of col. Ball's dragoons volun- 
teered to reconnoitre the enemy's camp, but 
before they had got far from the fort they were 
fired on by the Indians and compelled to re- 
turn. 

On the 29th the siege began in earnest, all 
communication with the other posts was cu1 off. 
The firing was kept up the whole day. The 
enemy had progressed so far in the construc- 
tion of their batteries during the night, that 
they afforded them sufficient protection to 
work by daylight. A man was this day mor- 
tally wounded as he was standing near the 
general. 

April 30 — the besieged kept up a well di- 



45 

reeled fire against the enemy's batteries and, 
considerably impeded their progress. Boats 
filled with men were seen to pass to the fort 
Meigs side of the river ; this induced the gen. 
to believe that their intention was to draw his 
attention to their batteries, and to snrprize 
and storm the camp in the rear. Orders were 
therefore given for one third of the men to be 
constantly on guard, and the remaining two 
thirds to sleep with their muskets in their arms, 
and to be constantly prepared, at a moment's 
warning, to fly to their posts. These orders 
were strictly obeyed, and every duty per- 
formed with cheerfulness. JNotwithstanduig 
the incessant fire of the enemy, the men were 
obliged to go to the river for water every 
night — the well not being finished. Seven;! 
of the men were this day wounded and the 
general being continually exposed, had seve- 
ral narrow escapes, During the night the en- 
emy towed up a gun-boat near the fort and 
fired at point blank shot for some time, but 
without effect. They retired from this posi- 
tion as soon as it was light enough for our 
gunners to see her, 

The grand traverse wa§ now completed, a» 
well as several small ones in various direc- 
tions. The fire from the garrison was begun 
with effect. During the day (May 1st) the 
enemy fired 256 times from their gun batte- 
ries. Their 24 pound shot passed through 
the pickets without cutting them down, Our 



4& 

gunners silenced one of their pieces several 
times. They did notfire so rapidly as the enemy, 
but with a better aim— 8 of tiie Americans 
were wounded this day — a bullet struck tlie 
seat on which. the general was setting, and a 
volunteer was at the same time wounded as 
he stood directly opposite to him. 

On the 2d of May both parties commenced 
firing \exy early with bombs and balls, and 
continued it very briskly all day. Our troop*- 
had 1 killed and 10 wounded, besides several 
others slightly touched with Indian bullets, 
The enemy this day fired 457 cannon shot. 

The next day commenced with a very brisk 
and fierce firing of bombs and cannon balls, 
and continued at intervals all d&y. TJiey 
opened two batteries upon the fort, which they 
had established on this side of the river, within 
250 yards of the rear right angle of the camp, 
one of which was a bomb battery. An In- 
dian, who had ascended a tree, shot one of 
our men through the hexid, and six were kil- 
led by the enemy's bombs.. They fired 510 
times during the day, and 47 times during the 
night. 

It rained very hard on the 4th which re- 
tarded the fire of the besiegers. A new bat- 
tery was discovered erecting o»i this side of 
the river, in the same direction with the oth- 
ers, and traverses were commenced to guard 



47 

tigainst them. Several were killed and wound- 
ed, lieut. Gwynue killed a British officer on 
this side the river with a rifle. 223 shots were 
fired this day. 

General Clay was now at fort Winchester, 
with 1200 men, on his way to relieve the gar- 
rison. 

On the 5th the enemy kept up but a feeble 
fire, but they killed three men with bombs. 
An officer arrived with a detachment of gen. 
Clay's men, with the welcome news that the 
general was but a few miles up the river, de- 
scending in boats. An officer was sent to him 
With directions for him to land one half of his 
force on the opposite side of the river, for the 
purpose of forcing the enemy's batteries and 
spiking their cannon. CoJ. Dudley, who was 
charged Avitlr the -execution of this movement 
performed it in fine style, but his men elated 
with tl-.eir success, continued to pursue the 
retreating enemy tilHhey were finally drawn 
into an ambush and overwhelmed by superior 
numbers; the greater part of this detachment 
were killed or taken prisoners. Some few ef- 
fected their escape to the garrison. About 
TO oflhese-amfortunate men were tomahawk- 
ed by the Indians, several hours after their 
surrender. The killed on the field of battle 
were horribly mutilated. 'Col. Dudley was 
among the killed. He displayed in his last 
moments the most heroic firmness, and actti- 



48 

ally killed one Indian after he was mortally 
Wounded. 

The other moity of genera] Clay's force, 
if not less prudent, were more fortunate; 
when they landed a little above the fort, they 
could easily have made the fort without loss, 
but instead of doing this or securing their sick 
and baggage, they marched directly into the 
woods in pursuit of a few Indians that were 
purposely leading them to their destruction. 
Gen. Harrison perceiving their folly, caused 
coi. Ball to sally out with the cavalry and pro- 
tect their retreat to the fort. He succeeded 
in bringing them into the fort; but in t lie 
mean while a party of Indians had tomahawk- 
ed their sick, left in the boats, and plundered 
their baggage. 

While col. Dudley's party was engaged 
with the enemy on the left bank of the river, 
several brilliant and successful charges were 
made on the right. In these charges, colonel 
Miller, maj. Alexander, capt. Croghan, Long- 
horn, Bendford and Neveing, were conspicu- 
ous. Our troops conducted with the most 
determined bravery ; all their batteries on 
this side were carried, and many prisoners tak- 
en. 

From the 6th to the 9th there was no firing. 
Flags of tiuce passed and repassed between 
the two armies. An exchange of prisoners 



4** 

took place. The Kentucky militia, taken at 
Dudley's defeat, were to be sent to Harrison, 
In order to return home by that route. On the 
morning of the 9th the enemy commenced 
their retreat down the river, after having Been 
before the place 1 3 days, during which time 
he had fired at the works, 1800 shells and can- 
non balls, besides keeping up an almost con- 
tinual discharge of small arms. The Ameri- 
can loss during the siege in the fort and in the 
diiferent sorties on this side, was 72 killed and 
196 wounded. The loss of col. Dudley's de- 
tachment was about 200 killed and missing 
That of the enemy was about equal. 

One reason why our troops did not sustain 
a greater loss in the fort, was because the men 
had contrived a kind of bomb proof retreat 
all along the ditch immediately behind the 
pickets. They "would watch the enemy's fire 
and knew when to squat into their hiding pla- 
ces. By this means many valuable lives were 
saved* 

Vast quantities of rain fell during the siege 
— the soil within the pickets is clay, and the 
constant treading of the men and horses caused 
the whole area of the fort to become a perfect 
bed of morter, half leg deep — the frequent 
bursting of shells caused it to fly in every di- 
rection, covering officers and men with mud. 

The army not being sufficiently strong for 

E 



50 

offensive operations, it became necessary id 
wait for reinforcements, and for the comple- 
tion of the vessels of war building at Erie. 

The head-quarters of the general were 
transferred to Seneca town on the Sandusky. 
Gen. Clay was charged with the defence of 
fort Meigs. Generals M' Arthur and Cass 
were actively employed in recruiting two re- 
giments of 12 month's regulars in the state of 
Ohio. 

In June the general held a council with a 
number of Indian chiefs, who had hitherto pro- 
fessed neutral sentiments, t > whom he made 
three propositions : — To take up arms in be- 
half of the United States — To remove within 
our settlements and remain neutral — Or to go 
to the enemy and seek his protection. After 
a short consultation among themselves, they 
accepted the first, and prepared to accompa- 
ny him in the invasion of Canada. 

The hostile Indians continued to make in- 
roads into the settlement and committed fre- 
quent murders. A party from Maiden coast' 
ed down the lake as far as Cold Creek, where 
they killed, scalped and made prisoners, one 
man, three women and nine children. 

An event took place, however, that had a 
salutary influence in repressing the audacity 
of the Indians. As col. Ball, with 22 of hi? 



51 

squadron were descending the Sandusky, the 
foremost of his party were fired upon from a 
thicket, by a band of 18 Indians, who had pla- 
ced themselves in ambush for the purpose of 
killing the mail carrier. Col. Ball instantly 
charged upon them and drove them from their 
hiding place. The ground was favourable 
for cavalry, and the Indians finding neither 
mercy nor the possibility of escape, gave a 
whoop, and fought desperately till the whole 
party were cut to pieces. Col. Ball was at 
one time dismounted, opposed in personal 
contest to an Indian of gigantic stature — it 
was a desperate and a doubtful struggle, life 
was at stake, hoth exerted to the utmost — an 
officer rode up and rescued the colonel by 
shooting the Indian through the head. After 
this terrible example, not an Indian ventured 
to cross the Sandusky in quest of plunder and 
blood. 

On the first of August general Proctor 
made his appearance before fort Stephenson, 
20 miles, above the mouth of the river Sandus- 
ky. His troops consisted of 500 regulars and 
about 700 Indians of the most ferocious kind. 
There were but 133 effective men in the gar- 
rison and the works covered one acre^ of 
ground. Major George Croghan commanded 
the place. The pickets were about ten feet 
high, surrounded by a ditch with a block house 
at each angle of the fort — one of which con- 
tained a six pounder — this was the exact state 



of the post, at the time the enemy appeared. 
The first movement made by the enemy, was 
to make such a disposition of his forces, as to 
prevent the escape of the garrison, if they 
should be disposed to attempt it. He then 
sent col. Elliot with a flag, to demand the sur- 
render of the fort. He was met by ensign Shipp. 
The British officer observed, thai general 
Proctor had a number of cannon, a large body 
of regular troops, and so many Indians, whom 
it was impossible to controul, and if the fort 
was taken, as it must be, the whole of the gar- 
rison would be massacred. Shipp answered* 
that it was the determination of major Crog- 
han, his officers and men, to defend the gar- 
rison or be buiied in it, and that they might 
do their best. Colonel Elliot addressed Mr* 
Shipp again — " You are a fine young man > 
I pity your situation ; for God's sake surren- 
der, and prevent the dreadful slaughter which 
must follow resistance." Shipp turned from 
him with indignation, and was immediately 
taken hold of by an Indian, who attempted to 
wrest his sword from him. Major Croghan 
observing what passed, called to Shipp to come 
into the fort, which was instantly obeyed and 
the tragedy commenced. The firing began 
from the gun-boats in the rear, and was kept 
up during the night. At an early hour the 
next morning, three sixes, which had been 
planted during the night within 250 yards of 
the pickets, began to play upon the fort, but 
with little effect. About 4, P. M. all the en- 



53 

enry's guns were concentrated against the 
north-western angle of the fort, for the pur- 
pose of making a breach. To counteract the 
effect of their fire, Col. C. caused that point to 
be strengthened by means of bags of flour, 
sand and other materials, in such a manner 
that the picketing sustained little or no injury. 
But the enemy supposing that their fire had 
sufficiently shattered the pickets, advanced, 
to the number of 500, to storm the place, at 
the same time making two feints on different 
points. The column which advanced against 
the north-western angle, were so completely 
enveloped in smoak, as not to be discovered 
until it had approached within 18 or 20 paces 
of the lines, but the men being all at their 
posts, and ready to receive it, commenced so 
heavy and gallant a fire as to throw the col- 
umn into confusion, but being quickly rallied, 
lieut. col. Short, the leader of the column ex- 
claimed, "come on my brave fellows, we will 
give^ the darn'd yankee rascals no quarters," 
and immediately leapt into the ditch, follow- 
ed by his troops : as soon as the ditch was en- 
tirely filled by the assailants, major Croghan 
ordered the six pounder, which had been 
masked in the block house, to be fired. It 
had been loaded with a double charge of mus- 
ket balls and slugs. This piece complefely 
raked the ditch from end to end^ The first 
fire levelled the one half in death— the second 
and third either killed or wounded every one 
except eleven, who were covered by the* dead 

k2 



54 

bodies. At the same time, the fire of the 
small arms was so incessant and destructive, 
that it was in vain the British officers exerted 
themselves to lead on the balance of the col- 
umn ; it retired in disorder under a shower of 
shot, and sought safety in an adjoining wood. 
The loss of the enemy in killed was about 
150, besides a considerable number of their 
allies were killed. The Americans had but 
one killed and seven slightly wounded. Early 
in the morning of the 3d, the enemy retreated, 
down the river, after having abandoned con- 
siderable baggage. 

The garrison was composed of regulars — 
all Kentuckians, a finer company of men is 
not to be found in the United States, perhaps 
not in the world. They are as humane as 
courageous. This is proved by their unceas- 
ing attention to the wounded enemy after 
their discomfiture ; during the night, they 
kindly received into the fort, through the fa- 
tal port-hole of the block house, all those who 
were able to crawl to it : to those unable to 
move, they threw canteens filled with water. 
They even parted with their clothes to allevi- 
ate the sufferings of the wounded. 

Gen. Harrison had ordered major Croghan 
to destroy the stores and abandon the fort, in 
case the enemy made his appearance. He 
dared to disobey the order, and has thereby 
immortalized himself. 



Da 



While Proctor and Dixon were investing 
fort Stephenson, Tecumseh with a band of 
2000 warriors and some British troops, ap- 
proached fort Meigs. They hovered round 
the place for several days and then withdrew, 
without doing any material injury to the gar- 
rison. 

When the news of the attack on fort Ste- 
phenson reached gov. Meigs, he made a spir- 
ited call to the patriotism of Ohio ; such was 
its effect that 1 5,000 men were immediately 
in motion to repel the invaders. Fortunately 
their services were not required. 

The tide of victory began now to set with 
a strong current in favor of the American 
arms. On the 1 0th of September, commodore 
Perry captured the whole British force on 
Lake Erie. This victory removed the prin- 
cipal barrier to the conquest of Maiden and 
the recovery of Detroit. 

At the same time the general began to con- 
centrate his forces at tiie mouth of Portage 
river*; The greatest activity was visible In 
camp ; in preparing for the descent on Cana- 
da — boais were collected — beef jerked — the 
superfluous baggage secured in block houses 

* From the 13th of September, until the return of the 
army to Detroit, after the battle of the Thames, the writer 
of this work served as a volunteer, for the most part, in 
col. Ball's legion, antl was an actor in the events narrated/- 



56 

and a substantial log fence two miles long, 
extending from Portage river to Sandusky bay, 
was built to secure the horses during the ope- 
rations of the army. 

On the 17th gov. Shelby with 4000 volun- 
teers, arrived at head-quarters. This formic 
dable corps were all mounted; but it was 
deemed best for them to act as infantry, and 
leave their horses on the peninsula. On the 
20th gen. JYT Arthur's brigade, from fort Meigs, 
joined the main body, after a very fatiguing 
march of three days down the lake coast. 

Col. Johnson's mounted regiment remained 
at fort Meigs, but ha&orders to approach De- 
troit by land and to advance pari passu with 
the commander in chief, who was to move in 
boats through the islands, to Maiden, and of 
whose progress, the colonel was to be daily iii^ 
formed by a special express. 

The British prisoners, taken in the naval 
action of the 10th, were sent to Chilicolhe, 
guarded by a pail of col. Hill's regiment of 
of Pennsylvania detached militia. The dif- 
ferent posts on the American side of the lake, 
were left in charge of the Ohio militia*. Fort 

* The Ohio and Pennsylvania militia, at this time, in- 
dulged a belief that the general was partial to the Ken- 
tuckians. Whether this jealousy was well founded or 
Bot, it is obvious that gov. Meigs took umbrage at the 
general's letter, recommending to him the reduction q£ 



Meigs, which till now had covered eight acresr 
of land, was reduced in its dimensions to one. 
acre. About 500 Ktritackians were to remain 
at Portage to guard the horses* and stores. 

Every thing being now ready, the embark- 
ation of the troops commenced at the dawn of 
day, on the 2! st. For the want of a sufficient 
number of boats, not more than one third of 
the army could embark at once. 

There is a range of islands extending from 
the head of the Peninsula, to Maiden. These 
islands render the navigation safe, and afford 
the army convenient depots for baggage and 
stores, as well as halting places. 

Put-in-bay island, sixteen miles from Por- 
tage, was selected by the general as the first 
point of rendezvous— the first stage in his pas- 
sage across the lake. The weather was fa- 
vorable. As soon as the first division of boats 
reached the island, men were immediately de- 
tached to take back the boats for a fresh load. 
Such was the eagerness of the men to accele- 
rate the embarkation of the whole army, that, 
they, in most cases, anticipated this regula- 
ble number of the Ohio volunteers, at that time on llieii 
way to join the north-western array. 

* The number of horses left on the Peninsula, during 
the absence of the army in Canada, was upwards of five 
thousand ! for the most part, of the first size and condi- 
tion, 



58 

tion by volunteering their services to return 
with the boats. Every one courted fatigue. 

The fleet of commodore Perry, was busily 
engaged in transporting the baggage of the 
army. In the course of the 22d the whole ar- 
my had gained the island, and encamped on 
the margin of the bay, which forms nearly a 
semi circle. 

The Lawrence, and the six prize ships, cap- 
tured from the enemy, were at anchor in the 
centre of the bay, and in full view. With 
what ineffable delight did we contemplate 
this interesting spectacle! The curiosity of 
the troops was amply indulged ; every one 
was permitted to go on board the prizes to 
view the effects of the battle. The men were 
highly pleased with this indulgence of the gen- 
eral and the commodore. The scene was 
calculated to inflame their military ardor, 
which was visible in every countenance. 

The army was detained at Put-in-bay dur- 
ing the 23d and 24th by unfavourable winds. 
On the 24th, a soldier of the regular forces 
was shot for desertion. He had deserted three 
times — had been twice before condemned to 
suffer death, and as often pardoned ; he met 
his fate with stoical indifference, but it made 
a very sensible impression on the troops. 
Two platoons fired on him, at the distance of 



59 

Jive paces, and perforated his body like a 
sieve*. 

On the 25th the army again embarked 
partly in boats and partly on board the fleet, 
to take a nearer position to the Canadian 
shore. The flotilla arrived a lhtle before 
sunset, at a small island called the Eastern 
Sister y eighteen miles from Maiden and seven 
from the coast. This island does not contain 
more than three acres, and the men had scarce- 
ly room to sit down. 

f On the 26th the wind blew fresh, it became 
necessary to haul up tiie hovits, to prevent their 
staving. The general and commodore in the 
Ariel, made a reconnoissance of the enemy's 
coast and approached within a short distance 
of Maiden. Capt. Johiney was dispatched to 
apprize col. Johnson of our progress. Gen. 
Cass, col. Ball and capt. M'Clelland were bu- 
sy in arranging and numbering the boats, 
/it sun set the lake had risen several feet ; in- 

* It is worthy of remark that but two soldiers were 
lot in the north-western army ; and so unfrequent was de- 
i vtion, that from the time I joined it, till its departure 
from fort George, not a solitary instance occurred ; at 
least none came to my knowledge, although I made fre- 
quent enquiries as to the fact. I am not willing to attribute 
this extraordinary fidelity to the public service, to the 
fcuperior patriotism of the people of the west, or a nice 
sense of the force of moral obligations. The cause is ev- 
ident — the officers are generally, more attentive to their 
men, than those of the northern army. 



60 

dfeect, such was the violence of the surf that 
many entertained serious fears that the great- 
er part of the island would be inundated be- 
fore morning. However, the wind subsided 
at twelve and relieved our apprehensions. 

On the 27th at nine in the morning the ar- 
my made its final embarkation. The day 
was fine, and a propitious breeze made our 
passage a most pleasing pastime. It was a 
sublime and delightful spectacle to behold 
16 ships of war and 100 boats filled with men, 
borne rapidly and majestically to the long 
sought shores of the enemy. The recollec- 
tion of this day can never be effaced from my 
memory. There was something truly grand 
and animating in the looks of the men. There 
was an air of confidence in every counte- 
nance. The troops panted for an opportuni- 
ty to rival their naval brethren in feats of 
courage and skill ; they seemed to envy the 
£ood ioitune of our brave tars. They were 
ignorant of the flight of the enemy, and confi- 
dently expected a fight ; indeed the belief 
was current among the troops that the enemy 
>vere in great force ; for it was believed that 
Dixon's Indians as well as Tecumseh's were 
at Maiden. 

We landed in perfect order of battle at 4 
P. M. three miles below Maiden. The Ken- 
tucky volunteers formed the right wing. 
Ball's legion and the friendly Indians the cen 



61 

tre — the regulars on the left. The troops 
were almost instantly in line and shortly com- 
menced their match, en echelons, for Maiden, 
The troops had been drilled to marching in 
and out of boats and to forming on the beach. 
Every man knew his place ; and so well were 
they masters of this very necessary piece of 
service, that a company would march into a 
boat, debark and form on the be^ch in less 
than one minute, and that too without the 
least confusion.* 

As we approached Maiden, instead of the- 
re d coats and the war whoop of the Indians, a 
group of well dressed ladies advanced to meet 
us, and to implore mercy and protection. 
They were met by governor Shelby, who 
soon quieted their fears by assuring them that 
we came not to make war on women and chil- 
dren but to protect them. 

The army entered Maiden by several par- . 
allel streets and we marched through the town 
to the thunder of " Yankee Doodle" 

The ruins of the fort and the naval build- 
ings were still smoking. All the loyal inhab- 
itants followed the British army in its retreat. 
The fortifications of Maiden must have cost 
the British government a vast sum. The fort 

* This proficiency is applicable only to the regulars 
and tv- e ve-months volunteers. The militia officers did 
not. attend to it. 

F 



62 

is surrounded by a deep ditch and two rows 
of heavy pickets; the walls are high and the 
adjacent country as level as a lake. What 
cannon and small arms they were unable ta 
fcarry away were sunk in the river. 

The town may contain 150 houses, mostly 
framed — a part are constructed of hewn logs : 
its appearance is worthy of its character — as- 
dark and as gloomy as Erubus. The inhabi- 
tants are composed of renagadoes, Scotch, 
Irish and Canadian French. Very few me» 
were to be found, and those invariably French. 
Perhaps it would be unjust to attempt the 
portrait of the character of the inhabitants, 
where so few remained at home. I will then 
only mention one fact. A well known hor- 
rid trafic, has so completely blunted the feel- 
ings of humanity, that the exhibition of scalps 
in the streets, in the most terrific forms, by 
the Indians, produces no emotion of horror 
even in the female bosom ! The spectacle 
has become so familiar to the eye, that it has 
lost the interest of curiosity — and is beheld 
with as much indifference as we view the pelt- 
ry of a furman. 

Opposite the place lies the island of Bote 
Blanc, on the lower end of which was a heavy 
battery which defended the entrance to the 
harbor. The enemy in their haste had left an 
18 pounder in this battery. 



Perhaps there is not a place in America that 
possesses so great convenience for ship build- 
ing, as Maiden. The descent of the shore is 
in proper angle for launching : besides, the 
water is deep and the timber can be floated 
to the spot in any quantity and at a short dis- 
tance, except pine which is found on the 
Thames,onthe St Clair river and on the shores 
of the lakes. They had collected a consider- 
able quantity of timber, which they attempt- 
ed to burn, but without success. 

The country is settled to the distance of 
twenty miles below Maiden. Col. Elliott's 
house stands on the bank of the river, half a 
mile below the village — he has an extensive 
orchard and a park, his house was deserted. 
We found excellent peaches, of which we made 
free use, without enquiring the price. 

Three miles above the fort is an Indian vil- 
lage which we found deserted, and so sudden- 
ly, that many essential articles of Indian fur- 
nature, such as brass kettles, were left in the 
houses. Here we procured a plentiful sup- 
ply of green corn, potatoes, &c. This village 
was not burnt. 

In the evening after our arrival at Maiden, 
Col. Ball dispatched an officer and twenty mes 
to prevent the enemy's destroying the bridge 
across the Aux Cannards. The enemy were 
found on the bridge, having just set fire to it. 



64 

Our party fired on them — they dispersed and 
the bridge was saved. 

On the 28th we passed the i\.ux Cannards, 
and encamped two miles beyond the river, in 
a neat French settlement. A small party of 
British horse shewed themselves at the bridge 
and then scampered oil* 

The next day we reached Sandwich at two 
o'clock in the afternoon. At the same time 
the fleet came up the river to Detroit. The 
general made dispositions for passing the riv- 
er. Governor Shelby's corps remained at 
Sandwich, while Ball's legion and the brigades 
of generals M' Arthur and Cass passed over to 
Detroit. 

The Indians appeared in groupes, on the 
bank of the river below Detroit; a few shots 
from the gun-boats caused them to disperse. 

The Indians did not leave Detroit till the 
boats containing the troops were half way 
across the river. Just before we landed on 
the American side the inhabitants hoisted the 
U. S. flag amid the acclamations of thousands. 
We were received by the Inhabitants with de- 
monstrations of unfeigned joy. They had suf- 
fered all that civilised and savage tyranny 
could inflict, save death. The Indians had 
lived at free quarters for several months. It 
was natural for them to hail us as deliverers. 



65 

The enemy had set fire to the fort, but the 
walls and picketing remained entire. The 
public store, a long brick building near the 
wharf was injured only in the roof, which our 
men soon repaired. In the course of the night 
there was an alarm in camp, the fires were e^ 
fcinguished, and the men ordered to lie on their 
arms. 

On the 30th Col. Johnson's regiment arriv- 
ed from Fort Meigs, they immediately com j 
menced the passage of the river in boats. — - — 
Gen. M' Arthur with the mass of the regular 
troops was charged with the defence of De- 
troit. It was the general opinion of the In- 
habitants that there were 1000 Indian war- 
riors, under Marpot and Split Log, lurking in 
the woods between the river Rouge and Hu- 
ron of Lake St. Clair. The friendly Indians 
had taken several prisoners in the immediate 
vicinity of Detroit, 

On the 2d of October every arrangement 
was completed for pursuing the retreating 
British army up the Thames. The force se- 
lected for this service were the mounted regi- 
ment of Col. Johnson, three companies of 
Col. Ball's legion and the principal part Gov- 
ernor Shelbey's volunteeis. 

From Sandwich to the Moravian Towns is 
eighty-four miles. We found the roads for 
the most part good. The country is perfectr 

f2 



66 

ly level. The advance of the troops was rap- 
id — so much so, that we reached the river 
Riscum, which is about twenty-five miles 
from Sandwich, in the evening. The enemy 
had neglected to destroy the bridge. Early 
in the morning of the 3d, the general proceed- 
ed with Johnson's regiment, to prevent the 
destruction of the bridges over the different 
streams that fall into Lake St. Clair and the 
Thames. These streams are deep and muddy 
and are unfordable for a considerable distance 
into the country. A lieutenant of dragoons 
and thirteen privates, who had been sent back 
by general Proctor, to destroy the bridges, 
were made prisoners near the mouth of the 
Thames ; from them the general learnt that 
the enemy had no certain information of our 
advance. 

The baggage of the army was brought from 
Detroit in boats, protected by a part of com- 
modore Perry's squadron. In the evening the 
army arrived at Drake's farm, eight miles 
from the mouth of the Thames and encamped. 
This river is a fine deep stream, navigable for 
vessels of considerable burthen, after the pas- 
sage of the bar at its mouth, over which there 
is generally seven feet water. The gun-boats 
could ascend as far as Dalson's, below which 
the country is one continued prarie, and at 
once favorable for vavalry movements and for 
the co-operation of the gun-boats. Above 
Dalson's the aspect of the country changes ? 



m 

the river, though still deep, is hoi more tlma 
seventy yards wide, and its banks high and 
woody. 

At Chatham, four miles from Dal son's and 
sixteen from lake St. Clair, is a small deep 
creek, where we found the bridge taken up 
and the enemy disposed to dispute our pas- 
sage, and upon the arrival of the advanced 
guard, commenced a heavy fire from the op- 
posite bank as well as a flank fire from the 
right bank of the river. The army halted and 
formed in order of battle. The bridge wa$ 
repaired under the cover of a fire from two six 
pounders. The Indians did not relish the fire 
of our cannon and retired. Col. Johnson be- 
ing on the right, had seized the remains of a 
bridge at McGregor's mills, under a heavy 
(ire from the Indians. He lost on this occa- 
sion, two killed and four wounded. The en^ 
emy set fire to a house near the bridge con^ 
taining a considerable quantity of muskets;; 
the flames were extinguished and the arms 
saved. At the first farm above the bridge we 
found one of the enemy's vessels on fire, load- 
ed with arms and ordnance stores. Four milee 
higher up, the army took a position for the 
night — here w T e found two other vessels and a 
large distillery filled with ordnance and other 
stores to an immense amount, in flames. Two 
24 pounders, with their carriages, were taken, 
and a large quantity of ball and shells of vari- 
ous sizes* . 



The army was put in motion early on the 
morning of the 5th. The general accompani- 
ed col. Johnson — Gov. Shelby followed with 
the infantry. This morning we captured two 
gun-boats and several batteaux loaded with 
provisions and ammunition. At nine we had 
reached Arnold's mills, where there is a ford- 
ing place, and the only one for a considerable 
distance. Here the army crossed to the right 
bank — the mounted regiment fording, and the 
infantry in the captured boats, The passage, 
though retarded for want of a sufficient num- 
ber of boats, was completed by twelve. 

Eight miles above the ford, we passed the 
ground where the British force had encamped 
the night before. The general directed the 
advance of col. Johnson's regiment to accele- 
rate their march, for the purpose of ascertain- 
ing the distance of the enemy. The officer 
commanding it, shortly after, sent word back 
that his progress was stopped by the enemy* 
who were formed across our line of march. 

The army was now within three miles of 
the Moravian town, and within one mile of the 
snemy. The road passes through a beach 
forest without any clearing, and for the first 
two miles near to the bank of the river. At 
the distance of fifty rods from the river is a 
swamp running parallel to it, and extending all 
the way to the Indian village. The interme- 
diate ground is dry ; the surface level ; the 
trees are lofty and thick, with very little un- 



69 

tlenvood to impede the progress of man or 
horse, if we except that part which borders on 
Hie swamp. 

Across this narrow strip of- land, the British 
force was drawn up in a line of battle, to pre- 
vent our advance. Their left resting on the 
river, was defended by four pieces of cannon 
— near the centre were two other pieces. Near 
the swamp tlie British line was covered by a 
large Indian force, who also lined the margin 
of the swamp to a considerable distance. The 
British troops amounted to 600 — the Indians 
probably to 1200. 

As it was not practicable to turn the enemy 
in flank, it became necessary to attack them 
in front. General Harrison did not long hes- 
itate in his choice of the mode of attack. It 
was as novel as it was successful. 

The troops at his disposal might amount to, 
3000 men : yet, from the peculiar nature of 
the ground, not the half of this force could ad 
vantageously engage the enemy. 

About 150 regulars, under col. Paul occu- 
pied the narrow space between the road and 
river ; they were ordered to, advance and a~ 
muse the enemy ; and, if an opportunity of- 
fered, to seize the cannon of the enemy. A 
small party of friendly Indians, were directed 
to move under the bank. Col. Johnson V re*- 



70 

giment was drawn up in close column, with its 
right at a few yards distant from the road, with 
orders to charge at full speed as soon as the 
enemy delivered his fire. The Kentucky vol- 
unteers, under major general Henny, were 
formed in the rear of the mounted regiment, 
in three lines, extending from the road to the 
swamp. Gen. Desha's division covered the 
left of Johnson's regiment. Gov. Shelby was 
at the erochet formed by the front line and gen. 
Desha's division. This was an important 
point. General Cass and commodore Perry, 
volunteered as aids to general Harrison, who 
placed himself at the head of the front line of 
infantry, to direct the movements of the cav- 
alry, and to give them the necessary support. 
Such was the order of battle. 

The army moved in this order till Ihe 
mounted men received the fire of the enemy, 
at the distance of 200 yards. The charge 
was beat, in an instant 1000 horse were in mo- 
tion at fujl speed — the right led on by lieut 
coL James Johnson broke through the Brit- 
ish lines and formed in their rear, the enemy's 
pieces were unloaded — their bayonets were 
not fixed — they surrendered at descretion — 
the whole was the work of a minute. In 
breaking through their ranks our men killed 
twelve and wounded 37 of the British regu- 
Jars. The shock was unexpected. They 
were not prepared to resist it, some were 
trampled under the feet of our horses ; others 



ii 

were' cut down by the soldiers ; very tew 
Were shot by our men, for our fire was 
hot general. Had the enemy shown the 
least symptoms of resistance, after we broke 
through their lines, the greater pail would 
have been destroyed, but they were as passive 
as sheep. Never was terror more strongly 
depicted on the countenances of men. Even 
the officers were seen with uplifted hands, ex- 
claiming "quarter* I" There is no doubt, 
that they expected to be massacreed, believ- 
ing that the Kentuckians w T ould retaliate the 
bloody scenes of Raisin and Miami ; but noth- 
ing was farther from their intentions, except 
it should be on the persons of Proctor and El- 
liot — these, neither the authority of Harrison 
nor of Shelby could have saved, if they had 
been found in battle. 

On the left the contest was more serious- 
col. Johnson, who command on that flank of 
his regiment received a terrible fire from the 
Indians, which was kept up for some time. — 
The Colonel most gallantly led the head of 
his column into the hottest of the enemy's fire, 
and was personally opposed to Tecumseh. — 
At this point a condensed mass of savages had 
collected. Yet regardless of danger, he rush- 
ed into the midst of them, so thick were the 
Indians at this moment, that several might 
have reached him with their rifles. He 
rode a white horse and w T as known to be an of- 
ficer of ran^ ; & shower of balls was discharge 



7ft5 



ed at him — some took effect — his horse was 
shot under him — his clothes, his Saddle, his 
person was pierced with bullets. At the mo- 
ment his horse fell, Tecumseh rushed towards 
him with an uplifted tomahawk, to give the 
fatal stroke, but bfa presence of mind did not 
forsake him in this perilous predicament — he 
chew a pistol from his holster and laid his 
daring opponent dead at his feet. He was un* 
able to do more, the loss of blood deprived 
him of strength to stand. Fortunately, at the* 
moment of Tecumseh's fall the enemy gave 
wav, which secured him from the reach of 
their tomahawks ; he was wounded in five 
places ; he received three shots in the right 
thigh and two in the left arm. Six Americans 
and twenty-two Indians fell within twenty 
yards of the spot where Tecumseh was killed 
and the trains of blood almost Covered the 
ground. 

The Indians continued a brisk fire from the 
margin of the swamp and made some impres- 
sion on a line of Kentucky volunteers, but 
governor Shelby brought up a regiment to its 
support — their fire soon became two warm 
for the enemy. A part of Johnson's men hav- 
ing gained the rear of apart of the Indian 
line the route became general. A small part 
of the Indians attempted to gain the village 
by running up the narrow strip of dry land ; 

they were soon overtaken and cut down. 

The Indians fought bravely and sustained a 



73 



severe loss in killed and wounded. The death 
of Tecumseh was to them an irreparable loss. 

The American army had fifteen killed and 
thirty wounded. Among the slain was coh 
Whitley, of the Kentucky volunteers, a man 
of 70 years of age, and a soldier of the revolu- 
tion. He was in easy circumstances at home, 
and possessed an excellent character. 

Among the trophies of the day were six 
brass field pieces, which had been surrendered 
by Hull-— I read on two of them this pleasing 
motto : " Surrendered by Burgoyne at Sarato- 



gar 



The day after the battle a part of the army 
took possession of the Moravian town, where 
we found most kinds of vegetables in abun- 
dance — these were acceptable to men who 
had for several days subsisted on fresh beef, 
without bread or salt. We found plenty of 
green corn ; the fields were extensive and our 
horses had an excellent range. 

The town was deserted ; so panic struck 
were some of the women in their flight, that 
they are said to have thrown their children 
into the Thames, to prevent their being butch- 
ered by the Americans f* 



# I had this fact from an American gentleman, who 

G 



74 

This village is situated on the right bank of 
the Thames, about forty miles from its en- 
trance into lake St, Clair. The town was 
built by emigrants from Muskingum, and 
contained at the time otthe baitle nearly 100 
houses, mostly well built. The Rev. John 
Scoll, from Bethlehem, (I J enr.) was establish- 
ed here as a mis io ai . Many of the inhabi- 
tants speak English — there ivas a school house 
and a chapel. The gardens were luxuriant 
and cultivated with taste. 

The town was destroyed as well as the corn- 
fields in its vicinity, by the troops previous ta 
their leaving it; Among other reasons assign- 
ed to justify the measure, it was alledgedthat 
these Indians had been among the foremost in 
massacreing our men at the river Raisin, and 
that the town, if it was spared, would afford a 
convenient shelter for the British allies during 
the winter, and from which they could easily 
pass into the Michigan territory to rob and 
murder the inhabitants. 

I have yet "to learn, that it is either good 
policy or justice, for the American troops, in 
every instance, to burn the Indian towns that 
fail into their power. Are the Indians to be 
reclaimed by tire 1 



was at Oxford, when Proctor and the Indians passec 
through there, on theii way to Burlington heights. The 
Squaws were then lamenting the loss of their children. 



7a 

General Proctor abandoned his army at the 
very moment Johnson's regiment beat the 
charge. About forty dragoons accompanied 
him as a guard. In twenty-four hours he was 
sixty-five miles from the Moravian town. A 
few of the mounted men pursued him and at 
onetime were within one hundred yards of him, 
butfthey were too weak to attack his guard, 
His carriage and papers were taken. 

Three waggons loaded with specie escaped, 
but might have been overtaken, if proper 
measures had been taken to pursue the fugi 
lives. A depot of 300 barrels of flour was 
within a day's march of the Moravian town. 

Why the army of general Harrison did not 
march by land to fort George, & by the way of 
Burlington heights, instead of going by water, 
is best known to himself. 

The distance from the Moravian town to 
the head of lake Ontario, is 140 miles. The 
road leaves the Thames at the Indian town, 
and strikes it again at Delaware, twenty-five 
miles distant, where it crosses, passes through 
London, Oxford, &c. and crosses Grand rivei\ 
near the Mohawk village, pursuing a south- 
eastern direction. Between Moravian town 
and Delaware, the road is bad, the rest of the 
way good. In the township of Delaware is a 
valuable forest of pine, belonging to the crown. 
A little below this on the left bank of the 



■ 7tf 

Thames, stands the Munsee Indian village. 
The land in this part of the Upper Province 
is uncommonly fertile, and admirably calcic 
lated for farms. On the river there are ex- 
tensive bottoms— then a gentle rise of beauti- 
ful timbered land, to which succeed openings 
well calculated for wheat 

Excepting the difference of sixty miles in 
the respective distances, it would have been 
as easy for the army to have advanced to Bur- 
lington heights as it was to return to De- 
troit. The means of subsistence, for man and 
horse, could have been procured in abundance. 
The troops, elated by the victory of the 5th, 
would have cheerfully gone on any expedi- 
tion, conducted by Harrison, and accompani- 
ed by such men as Shelby, Cass and Perry. — 
Unfortunately this measure was not embrac- 
ed in the plans of the campaign. How much 
would have been gained — (how much misery 
to our own citizens prevented) the recent oc- 
currences on the Niagara frontier sufficiently 
indicate. 

The army returned to Detroit. Capt. Elli- 
ot, of the Niagara, volunteered his services to 
command a naval expedition against Michili- 
mackir ac and fort St. Joseph ; but the weather 
proving unfavorable for a number of days, 
the season became too far advanced to risk the 
squadron on lake Huron, till spring. 



77 

While general Harrison was pursuing Proc- 
tor up the Thames, the Ottowas, Chippewas, 
Pottowatamies, Miamies and Kikapoos, pro- 
posed to gen. M' Arthur, a suspension of hos- 
tilities, and agreed to " take hold of the same 
tomahawk with the Americans, and to strike 
all who are, or may he enemies of the United 
States, whether British or Indians. 5 ' They 
brought in their women and children and of- 
fered them as hostages for their good behavi- 
or. 

Lieut. Le Breton arrived at Detroit on the 
15th, bearing a flag, and a letter from gen. 
Proctor to gen. Harrison. This letter re- 
quested humane treatment to the prisoners, 
and a restoration of certain property and pa- 
pers taken on the 5th. As the letter was ad- 
dressed to the general, " at Moravian towns," 
he saw no reason for Le Breton's journey to 
Detroit, and ordered him to join gen. Proctor 
hy the way of Buffalo and fort George. 

After the return of the commander in chief 
to Detroit, Walk-in-the-Water, who had been 
in the battle of the Thames, came in to im- 
plore peace. When he crossed from Sand- 
wich, the white flag which he bore in his hand 
had attracted a great crowd to the wharf, all 
anxious to get a near view of the distinguish- 
ed chief. I was struck with admiration at the 
firmness and apparent nonchalance with which 
he ascended the bank and passed through 

g2 



T6 

the ranks of the Kentucky volunteers, whom 
he had so gallantly opposed in battle but a 
few days before. I never saw more real dig- 
nity of carriage, or a more striking firmness 
of countenance. Yet his situation was cal- 
culated to depress his spirits and produce hu- 
mility. His town was in the power of the 
Americans — the British were all taken ; the 
Indians had just suffered a signal defeat — al- 
most all the other chiefs had submitted— he- 
was without the means of living or resistance; 
still his manner was that of a conqueror. 

Gov. Shelby's corps and the twelve month's 
volunteers, were all honorably discharged, 
Travelling became safe, and business at De- 
troit began to resume its wonted course, but 
the price current of the territory was exhorbi- 
tant for every thing to eat, drink or wear, 
Whisky sold at $4 a gallon — beef at 24 cents 
a pound — cheese 60 do. — butter 75 do. — po- 
tatoes 82 a bushel. The army was well sup- 
plied with rations, as were also about 300 of 
the Inhabitants of Michigan, and about 2000 
Indians, men, women and children, who. had 
no other means of subsistence. Adventurers 
soon came on with a sufficient supply of dry 
goods. 

On the 23d of October, general Harrison 
with all his disposable regular troops, embark- 
ed on board the fleet and sailed for Buffalo, 
ip obedience to orders from the secretary of 



7$ 

war. Previous to bis departure, he appoint- 
ed gen. Cass provisional governor of the Mi- 
chigan territory — the civil ordinances, as they 
stood at Hull's surrender, were proclaimed in 
force. Gen. Cass was left with about one 
thousand men, not more than seven hundred 
of whom were effective. The men were in- 
dustriously employed in preparing winter 
quarters at the fort. The Scorpion and Ohio 
schooners were engaged in transporting sup- 
plies from Erie and Cleveland, for the troops 
during winter. Troops were stationed at 
Maiden and Sandwich. — -The campaign clos- 
ed. 

General Harrison has been charged with 
oonducting war on the Fabian plan— with un- 
necessary delay in his military movements — 
with bad generalship at fort Meigs — with ti- 
midity at Sandusky. 

It is not my purpose to " extenuate^ the 
faults of general Harrison ; but justice should 
be the moral aim of every writer. It must be 
confessed, that the capture of Maiden and the 
recovery of Detroit were not so speedily ac- 
complished as the public impatience had an- 
ticipated. But there were great natural ob- 
stacles to be overcome — a numerous train of 
artillery was to be transported through an ex- 
tensive wilderness, where there were neither 
roads, bridges or ferries. There was an im- 
mense line of frontier to cover and defend-. 



80 

There was a powerful and active foe to com- 
bat. The enemy controuled the navigation 
of the lake — they may be said to have com- 
manded the woods, because it was at all times 
in their power to intercept and cut off sup- 
plies. There was a British regular force of 
at least one thousand men, supported at all 
times by a respectable militia force, rendered 
loyal by the conduct of Hull ; besides, the 
British general could command the services 
of three thousand Indian warriors, of fero- 
cious and desperate character. The enemy, 
then, could embody at any given point five 
thousand effective troops. Maiden and De- 
troit were strong military posts, defended by 
a suitable number of guns. In the summer 
season a naval force could co-operate with 
great effect. 

The disaster at the river Raisin rendered 
the first campaign abortive. From the de- 
feat of Winchester, till the victory of com. 
Perry, the enemy had at all times a numerical 
superiority, as well as great local advantages. 
Another consideration — the troops composing 
the north-western army, were for the most 
part, detached or volunteer militia, whose 
term of service, after the first six months, 
were continually expiring, and whose places 
were to be supplied by fresh drafts or volun- 
teers. Whenever the general saw a favor- 
able moment for consummating his views 
and the wishes of the nation, it was lost ; be- 



81 

sause an important corps of his army might 
leave him when their services were most 
wanted. After gov. Shelby joined him, he 
was in a condition to " look down all opposi- 
tion" — that he well improved his time, is abun- 
dantly proven, I think, by the fact, that but 
ten days intervened between the departure of 
the army from Put-in-Bay, till the capture of 
Proctor's army and the defeat of the Indians. 
In this march, six bridges were repaired — one 
thousand horses ferried over the Detroit river, 
and one day lost on the lake by head winds. 
Does this look like a Fabian movement ? 

Of his generalship at fort Meigs, different 
opinions are entertained. Perhaps, knowing 
as he did, the impetuous and ungovernable 
nature of the Kentucky militia, he erred in 
trusting to their execution, so difficult and 
hazardous a piece of service as was confided 
to col. Dudley. 

That the fort was defended not only in a 
military, but in a glorious manner, the works 
bear ample testimony. The picketing was 
every where pierced by the enemy's shot. — 
The general was always exposed, and never 
betrayed the least solicitude for his personal 
safety. The defence was as obstinate as that 
of Genoa, by Massena ; and there is no doubt 
that the garrison, like the French, would have 
eaten their horses, had the state of their pro 
visions rendered such a measure necessarv 



82 

Respecting the charge of timidity at 6aH- 
dusky, it may be proper to observe that gen. 
Harrison was probably able to defeat, if not 
to capture Proctor's force, after it had bee$ 
weakened by its losses at fort Stephenson. 
But there was a contingency that might justi- 
fy a prudent general in declining a contest* 
Tecumseh, with 2000 warriors, was known to 
be on the alert and not far distant. In case 
Harrison had advanced upon Proctor and 
Dixon, and had given them battle, his camp, 
containing the sick and stores of the army, 
would have been liable to pillage. Tecum- 
seh could have easily thrown himself into 
Harrison's rear, or have co-operated with 
Proctor whose combined forces would have 
been too strong for the Americans. The gen- 
eral, to be sure, might have acquired glory in 
defeating the enemy, and he might have been 
defeated himself. The nation has loudly ap- 
plauded Croghan for his heroic defence of 
fort Stephenson. Why ? Because we are as- 
tonished to behold a small fort, garrisoned by 
one hundred and thirty-eight men, defended 
against two thousand. Suppose the place had 
been taken, would it have excited our sur- 
prize ? No, we should most certainly have cen- 
sured Croghan for his rashness. By delay the 
general was certain to attain his purpose ; lie 
knew that when Shelby's corps and an addi- 
tional number of regulars should join him, he 
woulo' be superior to the enem$- ; and he would 



83 

also have the co-operation of commodore Per^ 
ry* Events have fully justified his expecta- 
tions. He has accomplished his purpose with- 
out hazarding any thing. It were well for 
the country, if our other commanders had 
done as much. 



u 



A Minute and Interesting Account 
of the Naval Conflict on 

i 

Commodore Perry arrived at Erie in June, 
with five small vessels from Black Rock. — 
The Queen Charlotte and Lady Prevost, were 
cruising off Long Point to intercept him — he 
passed them in the night unperceived. The 
Lawrence and Niagara were then on the 
stocks — every exertion was made to expedite 
their building and equipment, and early in 
August they were ready to sail. But it was 
necessary to pass the bar at the entrance of 
the harbor, over which there was but six feet 
water, and the brigs drew nine. The British 
fleet appeared off the harbor, for the purpose 
of preventing our's from going to lake ! — 
The means employed by our officers to take 
the brigs over the bar, were ingenious and de- 
serve mention. Two large scows fifty feet 
long, ten feet wide and eight feet deep, were 
prepared — they were first filled with water 
and then floated along side one of the vessels 
in a parallel direction ; they were then secur- 
ed by means of large pieces of hewn timber 
placed athwart ship, with both ends pro- 
jecting from the port holes across the scows ; 



85 

the space between these timbers and the boat, 
being secured by other pieces properly arrang- 
ed ; the water was then bailed from the scows, 
thereby giving them an astonishing lifting 
power. It was thus that the bar was passed, 
before the enemy had taken the proper steps 
to oppose it. One obstacle was surmounted, 
but the fleet was not in a condition to seek 
the enemy at Maiden. There were not at 
this time more than half sailors enough to man 
the fleet. However, a number of Pennsylva- 
nia militia having volunteered their services, 
the commodore made a short cruize off Long 
Point, more perhaps, for the purpose of ex- 
ercising his men than seeking an enemy. 

About the last of August commodore Per- 
ry left Erie, to co-opeiate with gen. Harrison 
in the reduction of Maiden. He anchored off 
the mouth of Sandusky river, and had an in- 
terview with gen. Harrison, who furnished 
him with about seventy volunteers, principal- 
ly Kentuckians, to serve as marines on board 
the fleet. Capt. Dobbin, in the Ohio, was or- 
dered to return to Erie for provisions. The 
Amelia had been left there for want of men 
to man her. Exclusive of these he had nine 
sail, mounting in all fifty-four guns. Tiie 
British fleet at Maiden, consisted of six sail, 
and mounted sixty-six guns. 

Com. Perry appeared before Maiden, of- 
fered battle, reconnoitered the enemv and 



86 

retired to Put-in-Bay, thirty-five miles distant 
from his antagonist. Both parties remained 
a few days inactive ; but their repose was that 
of the lion. 

On the morning of the 10th of September, 
at sunrise, the enemy were discovered bearing 
down from Maiden for the evident purpose of 
attacking our squadron, then at anchor in Put- 
in-Bay. JNot a moment was to be lost. Our 
squadron immediately got under way and 
stood out to meet the British fleet, which at 
this time had the weather gage. At 10 A. M. 
the wind shifted from S. W. to S. E. \\hkh 
brought our squadron to windward. The 
wind was light, the day beautiful — not a cloud 
obscured the horizon. The line was formed 
at 1 1 , and com. Perry caused an elegant flag, 
which he had privately prepare!, to be hoist- 
ed at the mast head of the Lawrence ; on this 
flag was painted in characters, legible to the 
whole fleet, the dying words of the immor- 
tal Lawrence: — " Dojn't give up the ship." 
Its effect is not to be described — every heart 
was electrifiedi The cr ows cheei e* — the ex- 
hilerating can was passed. Both fleets appear- 
ed eager for the conflict, on the result of 
which so much depended. At J 5 minutes be- 
fore 12, the Detroit, the head-most ship of the 
enemy, opened upon the Lawrence, which for 
ten minutes was obliged to sustain a well di- 
rected and heavy fire from the enemy's two 
large ships, without being able to return it 



87 

with carronad'es, at five minutes Before twelve 
the Lawrence opened upon the enemy — the 
other vessels were ordered to support her, but 
the wind was at this time too light to enable 
them to come up. Every brace and bowline 
of the Lawrence being soon shot away, she 
became unmanageable, and in this situation 
sustained the action upwards of two hours, 
within canister distance, until every gun was 
rendered useless, and but a small part of her 
crew left unhurt upon deck. 

At half past two the wind increased and en- 
abled the Niagara to come into close action — - 
the gun-boats took a nearer position. Com. 
Perry left his ship in charge of Lt. Yarnel, and 
went on board the Niagara. Just as he reach- 
ed that vessel, the flag of the Lawrence came 
down ; the crisis had arrived. Capt. Elliot 
at this moment anticipated the wishes of the 
commodore, by volunteering his services to 
bring the schooners into close action. 

At forty-five minutes past two, the signal 
was made for close action. The Niagara be- 
ing very little injured, and her crew fresh, the 
commodore determined to pass through the 
enemy's line ; he accordingly bore up and 
passed ahead of the Detroit, Queen Charlotte, 
and Lady Prevost, pouring a terrible raking 
fire into them from the starboard guns, and on 
the Grippe way and Little Belt, from the lar- 
board side, at half pistol shot distance. The 



88 

small vessels at ibis time having got within 
grape and canister distance, kept up a well 
directed and destructive fire. The action now 
raged with the greatest fury — the Queen 
Charlotte, having lost her commander and sev- 
eral of her principal officers, in a moment of 
confusion got foul of the Detroit — in this situ- 
ation the enemy in their turn had to sustain a 
tremendous fire without th© power of return- 
ing it with much effect ; the carnage was hor- 
rible — the flags of the Detroit, Queen Char- 
lotte and Lady Prevost were struck in rapid 
succession. The brig Hunter and schooner 
Chippeway, were soon compelled to follow 
the example. The Little Belt attempted to 
escape to Maiden, but she was pursued by 
two of the gun-boats and surrendered about 
three miles distant from the scene of action. 

The writer of this account, in company with 
five others, arrived at the head of Put-in-Bay 
island on the evening of the 9th, and had a 
view of the action at the distance of only ten 
miles. The spectacle was truly grand and 
awful. The firing was incessant for the space 
of three hours, and continued at short inter- 
vals forty-five minutes longer. In less than 
one hour after the battle began, most of the 
vessels of both fleets were enveloped in a 
cloud of smoak, which rendered the issue of 
the action uncertain, till the next morning, 
when we visited the fleet in the harbor on the 
opposite side of the island. The reader wiR 



89 

easily judge of our solicitude to learn the re^- 
sult. There is no sentiment more painful than 
suspense, when it is excited by the uncertain 
issue of an event like this. 

If the wind had continued at S. W. it was 
the intention of admiral Barclay to have 
boarded our squadron ; for this purpose he 
had taken on board liis fleet about 200 of the 
famous 41st regiment; they acted as marines 
and fought bravely 3 but nearly two thirds of 
them were either killed or wounded. 

The carnage on board the prizes was pro- 
digious — they must have lost 200 in killed 
besides wounded. The sides of the Detroit 
and Queen Charlotte were shattered from 
bow to stern ; there was scarcely room to place 
one's hand on their larboard sides without 
touching the impression of a shot— a great 
many balls, canister and grape, were found 
lodged in their bulwarks, which were too 
thick to be penetrated by our carronades, un- 
less within pistol shot distance. Their masts 
were so much shattered that they fell over- 
board soon after they got into the bay. 

The loss of the Americans was severe, par- 
ticularly on board the Lawrence. When her 
flag was struck she had but nine men fit for 
duty remaining on deck. Her sides were 
completely riddled by the shot from the long 
guns of the British ships. Her deck, the 

H2 



90 

jtirtorning after the conflict, when I first went o& 
board, exhibited a scene that defies descrip- 
tion for it was literally covered with 

blood, which still adhered to the plank in clots 
— brains, hair and fragments of bones were 
still sticking to the rigging and sides. The 
surgeons were still busy with the wounded — 
enough ! horror appalled my senses. 

Among the wounded were several brave 
fellows, each of whom had lost a leer or aa 
arm — they appeared cheerful and expressed 
a hope that they had done their duty. Rome 
and Sparta would have been proud of these 
heroes. 

It would be invidious to particularize ins- 
tances of individual merit, where every one 
so nobly performed his part. Of the nine 
seamen remaining unhurt at the time the 
Lawrence struck her flag, five were immedi- 
ately promoted for their unshaken firmness 
in such a trying situation. The most of these 
had been in the actions with the Guerriere and 
Java. 

Every officer of the Lawrence, except the 
commodore and his little brother, a promis- 
ing youth, 13 years old, were either killed or 
wounded, a list of whose names are given at 
i he close of the account. 

The efficacy of the gun boats was fully 



91 

proved in this action, and the sterna of all the 

prizes bear ample testimony of the fact. 

They took raking positions and galled the en- 
emy severely. The Lady Prevost lost twelve 
men before either of the brigs fired on her. — ■ 
Their fire was quick and precise. Let us hear 
the enemy. The general order of Adjutant 
General Baynes, contains the following words: 
" His [Perry's] numerous gun boats, [four] 
which had proved the greatest annoyance 
during the action, were all uninjured." 

The undaunted bravery of admiral Barclay 
entitled him to a better fate ; to the loss of the 
day was superadded grievous and danger- 
ous wounds : he had before lost an arm ; it 
was now his hard fortune to lose the use ot the 
©ther, by a shot which carried away the blade 
of the right shoulder ; a canister shot made a 
violent contusion in his hip: his wounds were 
for some days considered mortal. Every 
possible attention was paid to his situation.— 
When com. Perry sailed for Buffalo, he was 
so for recovered that he took passage on board 
our fleet. The fleet touched at Erie. The 
citizens saw the affecting spectacle of Harrison 
and Perry leading the wounded British He- 
ro, still unable to walk without help, from the 
beach to their lodgings. 

On board of the Detroit, twenty-four hours 
after her surrender, were found snugly stowed 
away in the hold, two Indian Chiefs, who had 



92 

the courage to go on board at Maiden, for the 
purpose of acting as sharp shooters to kill our 
officers. One had the courage to ascend into 
the round top and discharged his piece, but 
the whizzing of shot, splinters, and bits of rig- 
ging, soon made the place too warm for him 
— he descended faster than he went up ; at the 
moment he reached the deck, the fragments 
of a seaman's head struck his comrade's face, 
and covered it with blood and brains. He vo- 
ciferated the savage interjection " quoh /" an<J 
both sought safety below. 

The British officers had domesticated a. 
iearat Maiden. Bruin accompanied his com- 
rades to battle— was on the deck of the Detroit 
during the engagement, and escaped unhurt. 

The killed of both fleets were thrown over 
board as fast as they fell. Several were wash-r 
ed ashore upon the island and the main during 
the ga!es that succeeded the action. 

Com. Perry treated the prisoners with hu- 
manity and indulgence ; several Canadian^ 
having wives at Maiden, were permitted to, 
visit their families on parole. 

The British were superior in the length ami 
number of their guns, as well as in the number 
of men. The American fleet was manned 
with a motly set of beings, Europeans, Afri- 
cans, Americans from every part of the UmV 



93 

ted Stales. Full one fourth were blacks. 1 
saw one Russian, who could not speak a 
word of English. They were brave — and 
who could be otherwise under the command 
«f Perry ? 

The day after the battle, the funeral obse- 
quies of the American and British officers, 
who had fallen in the action were performed, 
in an appropriate and affecting manner. An 
opening on the margin of the bay was selected 
for the interment of the bodies. The crews 
of both fleets attended. The weather was 
fine — the elements seemed to participate in 
the solemnities of the day, for every breeze 
was hushed and not a wave ruffled the surface 
of the water. The procession of boats — the 
neat appearance of the officers and men — the 
music — the slow and regular motion of the 
oars, striking in exact time with the notes of 
the solemn dirge — the mournful waving of the 
flags — the sound of the minute guns from the 
different ships in the the harbor — the wild and 
solitary aspect of the place — the stilness of 
nature, gave to the scene an air of melancholy 
grandeur, better felt than described — all ac- 
knowledged its influence— all were sensibly 
affected. What a contrast did it exhibit to the 
terrible conflict of the preceding day ! Then 
the people of the two squadrons were engaged 
in the deadly strife of arms. Now they asso- 
ciated like brothers, to pay the last sad tri- 
bute of respect to the dead of both nations. 



Five officers were interred, two American 
and three British. Lt. Brooks and midship- 
man Laub of the Lawrence ; capt. Finnis and 
It. Stokoe of the Queen Charlotte, and lieut. 
Garland of the Detroit. The graves are but 
a few paces from the beach, and the future 
traveller of either nation, will rind no memento 
whereby he may distinguish the American 
from the British hero. 

The marines of our fleet were hi ghly com- 
plimented by the commodore, for their good 
conduct; although it was the first time the 
most of them had seen a square rigged vessel, 
being fresh from Harrison's army. The Ken- 
tuckians proved, on this occasion, as has the 
commodore since, tliat they can light on both 
elements. 

Capt. Elliot certainly deserves great praise 
for his bravery — it is to be regretted, however, 
that he overacted his pari. When he v\ en I on 
board the Scorpion to order herto.takc;a near- 
er position to the enemy, he ordered, captain 
Almy below, and struck several of the men in 
their faces with his speaking trumpet, by 
which means he gave them much pain and h>. 
delible scars, without accelerating a moment, 
her motion or her fire. Such freaks of passion 
and tyranny must be exposed, however pain- 
ful the task. The Scorpion had been well 
fought, and neither her captain or crew de- 
served the treatment they received. After 



m 

the action, commodore Perry offered captain 
Almy the command of the Lady Prevost, but 
he declined the honor, and requested that a 
court martial might decide on his guilt or in- 
nocence. 

Capt. Turner, of the Caledonia, signalized 
himself — he brought his ship into action in an 
able manner, and contributed, no doubt, his 
full share towards the success of the day. He 
is an officer of courage and skill ; but the man- 
ner in which he treats his men, detracts much 
from his merit as a naval commander. \V here 
humanity is wanting, all other virtues shine 
with diminished lustre. The men who fought * 
so gloriously on the ever memorable 10th of 
September — who risked their lives and re- 
ceived honorable wounds— who generously 
volunteered their services, and whose heroism 
will be celebrated through distant ages, ought 
not to be flogged, cruelly flogged like dogs, 
for trivial, oi rather for no oriences at all. — 
Men whose services are greater than the na- 
tional gratitude or recompense can requite, 
ought not to languish in sickness — to sink in 
death without one effort to save them — with- 
out the lea^t attention to alleviate their suffer- 



ings. 



The following pertinent motto has excited 
unbounded enthusiasm: — " Free trade and 
Sailor's rights." Let then the " rights" of the 
"Sailor" be respected, as well by our own 



98 

office as by those of the enemy. It is some- 
thing worse than folly to talk of " Sailor's 
rights" while our naval officers are permitted 
to flog, beat, and otherwise maltreat their men. 
The officers acquire their glory* in most cases, 
at the expense of the lives and the blood of 
their men. How great then the obligation to 
treat them with kindness and humanity ! But 
it may be objected that a lenient system of 
discipline will not answer for the naval service 
—that we must imitate the British in severity. 
Nothing is more fallacious— I will only cite 
one case to prove my position : the crew of 
the Essex are as obedient to command as that 
of any ship in the navy; yet the galla it capt. 
Porter, who is as humane as he is brave, never 
inflicts corporal punishment. If the limits of 
this work permitted, I could give facts, names 
and circumstances that would astonish the read- 
er and excite his indignation. 



Statement of the force of the British Squadron. 
Ship Detroit 19 guns 1 on pivot and 

2 howitzer^ 
Queen Charlotte 17 do. 1 do. 
Schr. Lady Prevost 1 3 do. 1 do. 
Brig Hunter 10 do. 

Sloop Little Belt 3 do. 

Schr. Chippe way 1 do. and 2 swivels. ■ 



63 guns. 



97 

Statement of the force of the United States 
Squadron. 



Brig Lawrence 
Niagara 
Caledoiiia 

Schr. Ariel 

Scorpion 
Somers 
Sloop Trippe 
Schr. Tigress 
Porcupine 



20 guns 
20 do. 

3 do. 

4 do. (1 burst early in 

the action) 
2 do. 

2 do. and 2 swivels 
1 do. 
1 do. 
1 do. 

54 guns* 



-o*< 



List of killed and wounded on board the Uni- 
ted States squadron under command of O. 
H. Pebry, Esq. in the action of 10th Sep- 
temher, 1813, viz : 



On board the Lawrence, 
KILLED. 

John Brooks, Lieutenant Marines, 
Henry Laub, Midshipman, 
Christian Mayhew, &r. Master, 
James W. Allen, seaman, 
Joseph Kennedy, do. 

JohnC. Kelly, private in the - 

John Smith, seaman, 
William Cranstcn, o. s. 
Andrew Michael, seaman, 
John Hcffman, o. seaman, 



R&. 



Charles Pohig, scamafr, 
Nelson Piters, do. 
James /ones, do. 
John Rose do. 
James Carty, sail maker's mate, 
Thomas Butler, seaman, 
IVilscn Mays, carpenter's male, 
James Brown, seaman, 
Ethehed Sykes, landsman, 
Phil.p Starplcy, corporal marines', 
Jesse Harland, private, 
Abner Williams, do. 22. 

WOUNDED. 

John J. Ytirnall, \st liettt. slightly, 

Dulaney Firrest, 2d do. do. 

Wm. N. Taylor, sailing master do. 

Samuel Hambleton, purser, severely, 

Thomas Claxton, midshipman, do. since dead 

Augustus Swartwad, do. do. 

Jonas Stone, carpenter, slightly, 

Wm. C. Keen, master at arms, slightly, 

FraKcis Maso7i, qr. master, severely, 

John Nc7vcn, do. do. do. 

Joseph Lewis, do. do. slightly, 

Ezckicl Fowler, do. do. do, 

John E. Brown, qr. gunner, severely, 

Wm. Johnson, boatswain's meite, severely, 

James Uelan, do. slightly, 

George Cornell, carpenter's mate, slightly, 

Thomas Hammond, armourer, do. 

Wm. Thompson, seaman, severely, 



George Varnum, 


do. 


do. 


James Moses, 


do. 


do. 


William Roc, 


dc. 


do. 


Jeseph Drnning, 
William Daring, 


do. 
do. 


do. 
do. 


John Clay, .. 
Stephen Fairfield, 
George Williams. 


do. 
do. 
do. 


do. 

r do. 

do. 



90L 



Lannon Husc, 


do. 


doc 


James Wdddinglon, 


do. 


do. 


John Burdeen, 


do. 


do. 


John Burnham^ 


do. 


do. 


Andrew Maitison, 


do. 


do. 


Jeremiah Easlerbrooki 


?, o. s._ 


do, 


Henry Schroeder, 


do. 


dt\ 


Benoni Price, 


do. 


do. 


Thomas Robinson, 


do. 


dj. • 


Peter Kinsley, 


do. 


do^ 


Nathan Chapman, 


do. 


do: 


Thomas Hill, 


0. 8. 


do n 


Barney McClair, 


0. S. 


do. 


William Dawson, 


S. 


do. 


Westerly Johnson, 


0. S. 


do. 


Samuel Spy wood, 


0. S, 


do. 


Jiobert Hill, 


s. 


slightly, 


Francis Cummings, 


0. S. 


severely, 


Thomas tlced, 


do n 


do. 


Charles Vandyke, 


do. 


do. 


William Simpson, 


do. 


da. 


Jesse Williams, 


do. 


do. 


James Hardley, ' 


do. 


slightly, 


James Bird, " marine, 


severely, 


Wm. Burnett, 


di. 


do. 


Wm. Baggs, 


do. 


do. 


David Christie, 


do. 


do. 


Henry Vanpoole^ 


dq. 


do. 


Thomas Triff, landsman 


i do. 


Elijah Partin, 


do. 


. do. 


John, Adams, 


do. 


do. 


Charles Harrington, 


do. 


d<r. 


Wm. B. Perkins, 


do. 


do. 


Nathaniel Wade, 


boy, 


severely, 


Newport Hazzard 


do. 


slightly— Q\ 



\On the morning of the action- the sick list cf the Law- 
rence, conlaine&lhirty-one unfit for duty.} 



100 

On board the Niagara'. 
KILLED. 

Peter Morel, seaman, 
.teaac Hordy, o. s. — 2. 

WOUNDED. 

John J. Edwards, lieutenant, 
Jokn C. Cummings, midshipman, 
Edward Martin, seaman, } 
Wm. Davis, o. s. \ since dead. 

Joshua Trapnill, marine, S 
SLonv'ell Hall, o. s. 
George Piatt, s. 
Ejlias Wiley, c. s. 
Henry Davidson, s. 
John M. Stribucfc, o. s. 
John Freeman o. s. 
James Lansford, s* 
Thomas Wilson, s. 
Charles Davidson, s, 
Daniel Bennet, s. 
John Filton, boatswain's mate. 
Sergeant Mason, marine, 
Corporal Scott, do. 
Thomas Miller, do, 
John Rumas, do. 

Geo. M'Manomy, do. 
Geo", fyoffield, do. 

Samuci Cochran, do. — 25 

On board the Caledonia. 
ABOUNDED. 

James Artus, \ 

Isaac Perkins, > slighi1y.~-~<i. . 

James Philips, \ 



101 

On board the Somcrs, 
WOUNDED, 

Charles Or (km, 
Godfrey Bowman. — 2. 

On board the Ariel. 
KILLED. 

John White , beats wain's mate- — 1 ? 

wounded; 

William Sloss> o. s. slightly, 
Robert Wilson, s. do. 

John Lucas, landsman, do.' — 3. 

On board the Trippe, 
WOUNDED. 

Isaac Green, soldier, Sttth regt. badly, 
John Niles, do. 1 1th, slightly.— 

On board the Porcupine, none killed or 
wounded. 

On board the Scorpion^ 
KILLED. 

John Clark, midshipman, 

John Sylhamamcr, landsman. — 2. 

On board the Tigress, none killed or 
wounded. 

Recapitulation. 

(Two days previous to the action, fifty -sev en men unfit 
for service in the small vessels.) 



1 2 



102 





Killed, 


Wounded, 


Toi 


Lawrence, 


22 


61 


88 


Niagara, 


2 


25 


27 


Caledonia 




3 


3 


Somirs 


,*• 


• 2 


o 


Ariel 


1 


3 


4 


Trippe 




2 


2 


Scorpion 


2 




q 



27 06 12; 



Military Anecdotes. 

The celebrated aboriginal warrior, Tecum- 
seh,* was in the 44th year of his age, when he 
fell at the battle of the Thames. He was of 
the Shawannoe tribe, five feet ten inches high, 
well formed for activity and the endurance of 
fatigue, which he was capable of sustaining in 
a very extraordinary degree. His carriage 
was erect and lofty — his motions quick — his 
eyes penetrating — his visage stern, with an 
air of hauteur in his countenance, which 
arose from an elevated pricks of soul — it did 
not leave him even in death. His eloquence 
was nervous, concise, impressive, figurative 
and sarcastic, being of a taciturn habit of 
speech, his words were few but always to the 
purpose. Hl^ dress was plain — he was never 
known to indulge in the gawdy decoration of 
his person, which is the general practice of the 
Indians. He wore on the 'day of his death a 
dressed deerskin coat and pantaloons. It is 
said thai he could read an I write correctly ; of 
this however, I am doubtful, as he was the 
irreconcilable enemy to civilization, of course 
would not be apt to relish our arts. He was 

* Pronounced in Shawanno?, Teecumthee. There are 
many words in this langun^e, which have the linmade*ht- 
al sound of th, such as Chilicothe, Sciothe, &cj 



104 

in every respect a Savage, the greatest, per- 
haps, since the days of Pontiac. His ruling 
niaxim in war, was, to take no prisoners, and 
he strictly adhered to the sanguinary purpos- 
es of his soul — he neither gave nor accepted 
quarters. Yet, paradoxical as it may 
seem, to the prisoners made by other tribes,, 
be was attentive and humane, Nav, in one; 
instance, he is said to have buried his toma- 
hawk in the head of a Chippeway chief, whom 
lie found actively engaged in massacreing^ 
some of Dudley's men, after they had beeK 
made prisoners by the British and Indians. — 
It had long been a favorite project of this as- 
piring chief to unite the northern, western and 
southern Indians, for the purpose of regaining 
their country as far as the Ohio. Whether 
this grand idea originated in his own, or his 
brother's mind, or was suggested by the Bri- 
tish, is not known — but this much is certain, 
he cherished the plan with enthusiasm, and 
actually visited the Creek Indians, toj>revaiI 
on them to join in the undertaking, lie was 
always opposed to the sale of the Indian lands.. 
— In a council at Vincennes, in 1810, he was 
found equal to the insidious arts of a diplo- 
matist. In one of his speeches he pronounced 
general Harrison a liar. He has been in al- 
most every battle with the Americans from, 
the time of Harmer's defeat to that of the 
ThameSi He has been several times wound- 
ed, and always sought the hottest of th«? fire. 
A few minutes before he received the f&fcaj 



106 

lire of col. Johnson, he had received a musket 
ball in his left arm, yet his efforts to conquer 
ceased only with life. When a youth, and be- 
fore the treaty of Greenville, he had so often 
signalized hjmself, that he was reputed one 
of the boldest of the Indian warriors. In tha 
first settlement of Kentucky, he was peculiar- 
ly active in seizing boats going down the Ohio, 
killing the passengers and carrying off their 
property. He made frequent incursions in- 
to Kentucky, where he would invariably mur- 
der some of the settlers and escape with several 
horses laden with plunder. He always eluded 
pursuit, and when too closely pressed would 
retire to the Wabash. His ruling passion 
seems to have been glory — he was careles of 
wealth, and although his plunderings and sub- 
sidies must have amounted to a great gum, lie 
preserved little for himself. After his fall 
on the 5th of October, his person was viewed 
with great interest by the officers and soldiers; 
of Harrison's army. It was sometime before 
the identity of his person was sufficiently re- 
cognized to remove all doubt as to the cer- 
1 ainty of his death. There was a kind of fero- 
cious pleasure, if I may be allowed the ex- 
pression, in contemplating the contour of his 
features, which was majestic even in death. 
Some of the Kentuckians disgraced themselves 
by committing indignities on his dead body. 
He was scalped and otherwise disfigured. 

r 

. A. hundred instances of the daring valor of 



iqt> 

the Kentuckians might be cited. On out 
inarch from Maiden to Sandwich, a volunteer 
in the flank guard, discovered an Indian at the 
distance of 200 yards, in the act of levelling 
his rifle at our men ; he instantly left th% 
ranks, made for the Indian and received his 
fire — the Indian retreated, but was closely 
pursued by the volunteer, who soon gained on 
] lis foe ; he fired and brought him to the ground 
—but the Indian had previously re-loaded his 
piece, and in his turn tired on the volunter, 
who received the contents in his leg — he was 
at this time half a mile from his comrades— r 
but did not retreat till he had dispatched the 
wounded Indian and secured his scalp, which 
he bore in triumph to his company, The 
danger of an ambush probabjy never occurred 
to his mind. 

There were two sons of I jeut. Col. James 
Johnson, in the battle of the Thames ; the 
eldest but 16 — the other 14 years of age. — 
Such was the ardor of these young Spartans, 
tfeat the officers had frequently to check theiv 
impetuosity. They were both mounted and 
often foremost in pursuit. 

Capt. Ellison, of the mounted men, received 
several rifle balls in*iis clothes and saddle — r 
When we broke through the British- ranks, a 
soldier of the 41st attempted to fix his bay- 
onet — at one stroke of his sabre, captain 
Ellison severed his bend and brought 



107 

liim to the ground : a second made a show of 
resistance, and shared the same fate. Shortly 
afterwards the captain led his company against 
the Indians. It was then that his temerity 
had nearly cost him his life — an Indian seized 
tJic bridle of his horse and attempted a blow 
with his tomahawk. The sabre again prevail- 
ed, and the Indian lost his scalp. 

At the alsault of fort Stephenson, a boy of 
14 years of age, in the heat of the fire, raised 
his arm above the pickets, in defiance of the 
enemy : a cannon ball struck it and tore it 
fro ji his body, and the poor fellow survived 
hut a few moments, 

A soldier was at the same time severely 
wounded in the block house. Unable to 
stand, and weltering in blood, he desired a 
lieutenant to reach him a gun, that he might 
fire on the enemy. 

The sick of the garrison caught the spirit 
of their comrades, and actually crawled to the 
pickets, where they assisted to load the super- 
numerary pieces for the men to fire. 

For the glorious defence of the place, the 
ladies of Chilicotho presented major Croghan 
with a sword. He thanked them in a becom- 
ing manner. He is not less conspicuous for 
modesty than courage. He signalized him- 



108 

self at Tippecanoe and fort Meigs. His pro* 
motion has been rapid, but gradual. 

There are three other officers, who, equal- 
ly with major C roghan, deserve praise for the 
part they took in the deieice of the fort. — 
When the major asked them if they were wil- 
ling to defend the fort ; they unanimously an- 
swered "yes! we will perish sooner than sur- 
render." The names of these brave men are 
capt. J. Hunter, lieut. Benj. Johnson, (nsphew 
to col. R. M. Johnson) and ensign Shipp.— 
The zeal and industry of these men cannot 
be surpassed. I regret that I have not room 
to particularize more instances of their brave- 
ry and good conduct. 

At the battle of Brownstown, an officer ob- 
served several Indian arrows to strike the 
ground near his feet, in a ■ perpendicular d£ 
reckon. The circumstance excited his curi- 
osity, and on looking up to discover from 
whence they came, he perceived an Indian 
perched on a tree thirty feet from the 
o-round, and but a few paces in advance — our 
men instantly levelled their pieces, and the 
fellow came tumbling down like a dead bear. 
He had provided himself with a fawn skin 
stuffed with arrows, many of which he had 
dexterously discharged at our troops. 

There were several Indians in the battle of 
the Thames, who used bows and arrows — in 



icy 

one instance, one of oiar men was mortally 
wounded by an arrow. % 

At the skirmish near the mouth of the 
Thames, an Indian squaw was mortally wound* 
ed; die was left to shift for herself— her little 
girl, six years oid, remained with her. On 
the return of the army from the Moravian 
town, they were found in the woods, at the dis- 
tance of half a mile from where she was 
wounded ; to appearance she had been dead 
three days— the girl was still living. When 
our men approached the spot, she instantly 
raised her hands and distinctly articulated 
w cfont!" Hhe w#s taken iio Detroit, where her 
fate and sprightliness excited universal inter- 
est. An officer of governor Shelby's corps 
took her to Kentucky with the humane and 
honorable intention of adopting her in his 
family, aaad of giving her an education. 

In the autumn of 1812, genera} Harrison 
left the army for a few weeks, and repaired to 
Chilicothe, on business. The citizens invited 
him to a public dinner; he declined tl*e invi- 
tation, observing, very justly, that it did not 
become him to be banqueting at sumptuous 
entertainments, while his men were exposed 
to the r%ors of the season, enduring the fa- 
tigues oi military duty, and subsisting on the 
coarsest food. 

In t^ 4 &?st€anipaigngen. 1 iIaiiison wore a 



. no 

bunting shirt ; conversed freely with the pri- 
vates, and appeared entirely- ■ fr^e from -mil- 
itary hauteur. In the second he was quite an 
altered personage. He became more distant 
and reserved. He even went so far in one of 
his harrangues, as to order the officers to 
"observe a gi eater distance towards their 
men," and added that he should *'hold them, 
responsible for the consequences." He had', 
however, an ingenious salvo at hand, for, in the 
same speech, he admitted that there were in 
the ranks, men better qualified- to command, 
than their officers — " men," said he, " with 
whose conversation I am charmed, and for 
whose talents and characters I have the highest 
respect." 

Harrison is apparently about 45 years of 
age •, five feet eleven inches high, slender made 
— of a sanguine, impatient countenance— his 
eyes are black, ardent and penetrating— his 
hair black. He has the peculiar faculty of 
seeing every thing within the compass of his 
view, without appearing to notice any thing 
but the immediate object of his attention. He 
possesses a singular volubility of speech— his 
eloquence is nervous and persuasive. No 
general ever possessed a happier voice for 
command. He is not without enemies, yet 
few men possess the art of popularity in an 
equal degree. If he knew the art of health as 
well, he might be pronounced a great general. 
Hb personal courage is unquestionable. 



Ill 

Gens. Cass and AI 'Arthur were very popu- 
lar in the army; they were at once beloved 
and respected. I have >oen M 'Arthur with his 
own hands lilt a i lour barrel from a bagira&e 
waggon, (in order to expedite the issue of 
rations)— secure a boat that was about to get 
adrift — carry rails and poles to repair bridge?. 
The effect was excellent: the men, cheered 
with the sound of " come boys," moved to .. 
their duty with alacrity. The imperative 
" go," destroys their zeal and causes them to 
move like oxen, long inured to toil. 

At the second siege of fort Meigs, the In-. 
dians attempted to play off a ruse de guerre 
upon the garrison. They commenced a sham 
fight in the woods', about half a mile from the 
fort, in the direction of Lower Sandusky, 
The fire was kept up with great warmth for 
some time, with a view to induce the Ameri- 
cans to believe that a reinforcement from San- 
dusky was endeavoring to relieve them. The 
men in the garrison were anxious to sally out 
to assist their supposed friends, but gen. Clay, 
was not to be deceived by stratagem. 

The horrible ceremonial of burning prison- 
ers, was twice celebrated by the Indians, soon 
after the attack on fort Stephenson. 

Soon after the friendly Indians joined Har- 
rison, in Angnst, 1813, they performed the 
war dance, to the no small diversion of the 



112 

army. As Carver describes this custom very 
justly, I will adopt his description. 

" It is performed amidst a circle of the 
warriors ; a chief generally begins it, who 
moves from the right to the left, singing at the 
same time both his own exploits, and those of 
his ancesters. When he has concluded his ac- 
count of any memorable action, he gives a 
violent blow with his war club, against a post 
that is fixed in the ground, near the centre of 
the assembly for this purpose. Every one 
dances in his turn, and recapitulates the wond- 
rous deeds of his family, till they all at last 
join in the dance. Then it becomes truly 
alarming to any stranger that hapens to be 
among them, a* they throw themselves into 
every horrible and terrifying posture that can 
be imagined, rehearsing at the same time the 
parts they expect to act against their enemies 
in the field. During this they hold their sharp 
knives in their hands, with which, as they 
whirl about, they are every moment in danger 
of cutting each other's throats ; and did they 
not shun the threatened mischief with incon- 
ceivable dexterity, it could not be avoided. 
By these motions they intend to represent the 
manner in which they kill, scalp, and take their 
prisoners. To heighten the scene, they set 
up the same hideous yells, cries, and war- 
whoops they use in time of action : so that it 
is impossible to consider them in any other 
light than as an assembly of demons." 



Abuses in the Army. 

If it be a fact, that in the armies of the U. 
States, disease kills three to where the enemy 
does one; the evil claims the prompt and se- 
rious attention of government, and ought to 
be remedied. It is a melancholy fact ! 

I will premise, in the first place, that our 
northern frontier, from the French Mills to 
Detroit, is, at certain points, and especially at 
every military station, extremely unhealthy. 
The diseases incident to the climate, are agues 
and fevers of different kinds. The British 
side of the lakes is as bad, or worse. 

I will briefly state what I have seen, and 
with no other view than to aid in the correction 
of the evil, 

I last summer visited the northern frontier, 
volunteered in the service, as a private, to as- 
certain by experience and ocular scrutiny the 
police of our camps and the condition of the 
sick, 

The science of health w 7 as no part of the 
general's study ; other cares engrossed his 
thoughts. Hygeia and Mars were not in hab- 
Y k2 



114 

its of intercourse. The stench of the camp 
was insupportable ; men sickened and died in 
their tents. The little medical aid they re- 
ceived was administered in most cases by 
downright q uacks. A t Detroit, several hous- 
es were occupied for the benefit of the sick ; 
they were dignified with the name of hospitals! 
The smell of the rooms was enough to make 
a well man sick in five minutes. It was as 
much as one's life was worth to enter them ; 
yet the sick were sent there to recover their 
health! Poor fellows! 

In an army, death soon loses its terrors. — 
The loss of a soldier excites very little inter- 
est. The surgeons and doctors are not verv 
solicitous to evince their professional skill, 
even if they chance to possess it. 

The officers fared very little better. Even 
Col. Johnson suffered beyond measure, in his 
passage from the Moravian town to Sandusky. 
One of governor Shelby's volunteers was shot 
through the neck : ten days afterwards his 
wound had not been dressed; his situation 
was distressing. We left him at Portage ; 
whether he lived or died I know not. He was 
a promising young man and-bore his pains with 
the greatest fortitude. 

The disease most fatal in the army, is the 
flux, or camp distemper, malignant and incu- 
rable in most cases, when opposed by impiri- 



M.3 

cal 'ignorance but which every old woman in 
the country would cure 'in three davs, with a 
decoction of milk, pine hark and spikenard 
root, ► 

I went frequently to the burying grounds' 
to count the fresh graves and mark the pro- 
gress of death. My heart sickened at the sight* 
By inspecting those of Detroit, Fort Meigs, 
Portage, Sandusky, Erie, Buffalo and Eleven 
Mile Greek, and by ascertaining the loss sus- 
tained by different corps, I was enabled to 
form a pretty correct estimate of the number 
of deaths by sickness. The aggregate was 
alarming. 

Capt. M'Clelland's company of ] 2 month's 
volunteers, from Fayette county, Pennsylva- 
nia, a very patriotic corps, and the one to 
which I was attached, left Pittsburg on the 5tfr 
of October, 1812, forty-five strong. They 
were for the most part men of talents and prop- 
erty. They were discharged at Detroit last 
October and had lost fifteen of their numher — 
twelve, by sickness — and three, killed in bat- 
tle ; and it was doubtful whethe r several oth- 
ers, then sick, would ever reach home. 

Almost every other corps in the army, that 
had been as long in service, suffered in the 
same ratio. The Chilicothe Guards, the 
Pittsburgh Blues, Payn's, Markle's and Gar- 
rard's cavalry, Hopkins' United States dra- 



116 

goons, PuthufPs and Kisling's infantry, the 
Petersburgh volunteers, all of Bail's legion, 
and whose respective losses I had the means 
of correctly ascertaining, lost nsarly every 
third man. The Petersburgh volunteers, as 
fine a company as ever trod the earth — men 
in the prime and vigor of life, the flower of 
Petersburgh, left home 101 strong. At the 
time of their discharge, which was in October, 
1313, they had lost 27 of their number, 22 of 
whom perished by disease ; several more re- 
mained seriously indisposed. I question 
whether more than 70 of these brave fellows 
will ever see Petersburgh again. Such was 
their patriotic ardor, that they left business 
which was lucrative — their homes the seat of 
elegance and ease — their friends, parents, 
wives, and children — marched more than one 
thousand miles to encounter the inclemency 
of the seasons — the toils and dangers of war — 
the horrors of disease, to serve their covntry r 
which they most faithfully performed. I will 
not attempt to describe my feelings, when I 
saw such men borne by their comrades to a 
rude and solitary grave. 

From, what I have heard and seen, I am in- 
duced to believe that the loss by disease, sus- 
tained by the northern army, is in the same 
proportion. It will follow then, as a necessa- 
ry consequence, that the recruiting service 
inust be briskly pushed to fill the vacancies iq 
the ranks occasioned by sickness, to say no- 



117 

thing of losses by the sword, to which all ar- 
mies are subject. 

The enemy have been equally unfortunate 
in preserving the liealth of their troops, as the 
graves of Maiden and Burlington will attest. 
We have the official avowal of sir George Pre- 
vost, that disease had made an alarming pro- 
gress in the English army in Canada. In his 
letter to sir J. L. Yeo, of September 1 9, 1 81 3, 
he says: " To the local disadvantages of the 
positions occupied by our army, have unhap- 
pily been added disease and desertion, to a 
degree calling for immediate remedy." The 
British central army lost nearly 500 men by 
sickness, in the months of August, September 
and October of last year. 

I have already said that there were local 
situations on both sides the lakes extremely 
unhealthy. Yet I will contend that there ex- 
ists no physical necessity for the mortality ex- 
perienced by the troops of both nations— that 
the cause is less in nature than in management^ 
as I will prove by reference to a few facts. 

The fatigues of surveying are as great as 
those of military service, except on particu- 
lar occasions. In 1 798, the Holland Compa- 
ny surveyed their purchase (lying on a part 
of lake Ontario, Niagara river, and .a part of 
lake Erie) into townships. Joseph Ellicott, 
then of Philadelphia, was engaged to superia- 



tend the survey. About three hundred weir 
employed in the work from May till Decern- 
bnr ; six or eight of the hands employed in . 
the traverse of Chataqua lake and Cataragus 
river, took the ague and fever; but not one 
of, the whole three hundred died— they enjoy-, 
ed the best possible state of health. Their 
living was bread, pork and chocolate. In the 
summers of 1799 and 1800, about the same 
number of men were employed in surveying 
the townships into lots, and they enjoyed the 
same degree of health. In the surveying of 
the lands of New-Connecticut and the western 
parts of Pennsylvania where I was personally , 
employed, no instance of death, by sickness, 
occurred. Of the 23 persons, who accompa- . 
niedcapts. Lewis and Clark, from fet. Louis to./ 
the Pacific Ocean, only one died. They were 
more than two years absent — their sufferings, 
are well known. 

Col. Johnson's corps of mounted men, at all 
times 1000 strong, traversed the Indiana and 
Michigan territories in quest of the enemy; 
passed into Canada to the Moravian town and, 
returned to Detroit. They had been six 
months in service and lost only three men by sick- 
ness. They were always on the aleit, and 
rarely breathed the pestiferous air of the 
camp. The French army of Egypt, of 40,000 
men, always on the move, and in a warm and 
unwholesome climate, did not surfer as much 
by sickness in two years, a%* we have lost at 



119 



^ome particular posts in one. These facts 
are of immense importance to the American 
nation, and are susceptible of the most ample 
proof. 

The officers of the American army are gen- 
erally possessed of humanity, and indulgent 
to their men ; there is here and there an ep- 
auletted coxcomb as destitute of feeling as 
the ice of Spitzbergen is of heat, but even 
these, are not able to kill men by mere dint of 
cruelty, if a proper camp discipline was adopt- 
ed and enforced. The rations of our army 
are good. 

Having briefly pointed out the evil I leave 
the discovery and application of the remedy* 
to the proper authorities — to congress and the 
war department. 

* Suppose congress were to institute a military board of 
health, add place at its head one of the first physicians in 
the United States, with a salary equal to that of a major 
general, with authority to send packing the whole herd of 
murder and as, and to substitute proper persons in their 
places, with suitable salaries to induce skilful and zealous 
practitioners to engage in the service I 



Plan of a Military Settlement. 

It Is well known, that since the commence- 
ment of the present war with the Indians, seve- 
ral expensive and formidable expeditions, have 
been sent against those tribes living on the 
waters of the Wabash, Illinois, Missisippi and 
Lake Michigan, without producing any other 
effect, than their temporary dispersion, or the 
burning of a few towns. Gens. Harrison and 
Russell, gov. Edwards, cols. Campbell, John- 
son and others, have all performed long and 
iedious marches into the Indian country for 
the purpose of harrassing the enemy : but their 
success has not been commensurate to the 
expense. The Indians are still unsubdued and 
ready and able to commit fresh depredations. 

The causes which have rendered these expe- 
ditions abortive are obvious. The savages 
having little or no baggage to retard their 
movements, cannot be overtaken bj their 
pursuers; they can disperse and collect at 
pleasure, while our troops are obliged to keep 
together, and to move slowly and with the ut- 
most circumspection, to avoid ambush and 
surprize. It most generally happens, that be- 
fore our troops can find an enemy, their pro- 
visions become exhausted and they are com- 

L 



122 

pelled to return home without having accom- 
plished any thing but fatiguing marches. — 
They are then disbanded and the frontiers left 
open to savage incursion. 

There is a bill before congress, which has 
for its object the better security of the fron- 
tiers of the state of Ohio, Indiana and Illi- 
nois territories. It proposes to appropriate a 
strip of the public lands, thirty miles wide, and 
more than four hundred long, beginning near 
the mouth of the Sandusky on lake Erie and 
running a little south of a westerly course, till 
it intersects the Missisippi near the mouth of 
the Missouri. The bill proposes, in sub- 
stance, to grant this extensive tract of public 
land to actual settlers, in donations of half a 
section (320 acres) to every individual who 
shall reside on the same, and equip himself 
with arms and accoutrements, and hold him- 
self liable to perform militia duty during the 
war. 

To say nothing of the folly of giving away 
nearly 20,000,000 of acres of public lands, 
there are several other weighty objections to 
the bill : 

]. Adventurers will flock to those lands, 
vvho will locate the best tracks, but will be 
foaind cunning enough to evade the most es- 
sential provisions of the law, by feigning ex- 






*23 

euses of absence, whenever tkere is fighting t© 
be doiie. 

g. The settlements w ill necessarily be weak 
and insulated and exposed to be cut off in de- 
tail. 

3. If the inhabitants unite ft) an expedition 
against the Indians, it will prove fruitless for 
the same reasons th#t those already projected 
have failed. 

4. Considerable time must elapse before 
any thing like concert and organization can 
exist in the colony. 

5. A militia systen? cannot be depended 
upon, as is proved by the evejifs on the Ni- 
agara frontier. 

G. The line of defence is- improper! v loca- 
ted. 

The Indians from whom we are t® expect 
the greatest annoyance in future, are those in- 
habiting the waters of lakes Michigan and Hu- 
ron. They are under the influence of Dixon, 
and are capable of much mischief to our fron- 
tier settlements. 

I will briefly give the outlines of a plan for 
a Military Settlement, which might, if prop- 
erly encouraged and supported, oppose au 



V2% 

effectual barrier to Indian hostility, east oL 
the MissisippL 

Tl>e country bordering on the southern wa- 
fers of lake Michigan presents peculiar ad- 
vantages for a military settlement. Nature 
has dispensed her bounties with a liberal hand. 
The climate is mild — the soil fertile — the ve- 
getation uncommonly luxuriant. The forests 
are filled with game, the wateis are covered 
with fowl. Perhaps there is no section of the 
U. States more favorable for a new settlement, 
even if it were to be purely agricultural^- 
Here, th$n, let congress fix on the scite for a 
fort, and the boundaries of a colony. The 
fcanks of the river St. Joseph are probably the 
most eligible. The next step will be to peo- 
ple it wiihjifUcn hundred brave men — 500 to 
act as infantry and 1000 to be mounted, Give 
them two or three ships of war, enough to 
eat and wear, and a commander of established 
reputation ; for instance, a Johnson, a Ball, 
or a Croghan, and we should hear no more 
q£ Indian murders on the frontiers. 

To make it an object for men of enterprise 
to embark in the measure, allow every pri- 
vate a bounty of S 100 in cash and a half sec- 
tion in land ; when on active duty, pay them 
twelve dollars a month ; let the mounted men 
be furnished with horses at the public ex- 
pense ; to mechanics give the tools of their 
respective arts ; to the cultivates o£ th$ soil 



MS 

give oxen, cows, sheep, hogs and the iniple- 
inents of husbandry; for it is to be under- 
stood, that at least one third of the settlers 
are to be men of families. The horses and 
cattle could be sent on from Ohio, by the way 
of Fort Wayne. The first year's provisions 
could be conveyed by water from Erie, Cleve- 
land or Buffalo. A grist and saw-mill would 
be indispeiisible appendages to the establish- 
ment. A minister of the gospel and two or 
three good Physicians would be necessary.. 
Lawyers could be dispensed with. Whenev- 
er such a force and such an institution is 
displayed on the southern shores of lake Michi 
gan, we will have little to fear from the sava- 



ges. 



But why locate this settlement on the 
southern shore of lake Michigan, in prefer 
once to Tippecanno3 or the banks of the Illi- 
nois ? Because, there are many powerful rea- 
sons to induce the preference. 

1. The Patawatamies and v Winnebagoes, 
Indians of very bad faith, live on the eastern 
and western waters of this lake, and to terrify 
and overawe them it is necessary to be in their 
neighborhood. 

2. The shores of the lake, are admirably 
calculated for cavalry movements, & there are 
immense praries in the direction of fort Wayne, 
Tippeeannoe and the Illinois^ upon which 

T,2 



126 

the mounted men could act to great advan- 
tage and make rapid movements ; so that on 
whatever point the enemy should menace an 
attack, the advantages of locality would be 
altogether in favor of this position. 

3. Forage, stores and supplies of every 
kind could be sent safely by water from the 
numerous settlements on lakes St. Clair and 
Erie, 

4. The flotilla- could co-operate with ef- 
fect. 

5. There exists strong political reasons for. 
preferring the southern waters of lake Michi- 
gan to any other place. Lake Superior may 
become the theatre of naval operations. The 
north-west company will make desperate ef- 
forts to retain the monopoly of the fur trade. 

6. The Indians will not remain between 
two fires, or, in other words, they would not 
continue (in a state of hostility) on the waters 
of the Miami of the Lakes, Wabash and Illi- 
iiois, while expeditions from Ohio and Indian- 
taa, could co-operate with the troops of the 
military settlement. 

7. Horses could not be conveniently win- 
tered without hay, which could only be pro- 
cured bv water from Detroit, 



View of the Lake Coast from San„ 
dusky to Detroit* 

The distance, by land, from the mouth of 
Sandusky bay to the town of Detroit, is 115 
miles ; in a direct course by water, it is not 
more' than 74 miles. Boats frequently pass 
to and from Maiden and Detroit by way of 
the islands, which extend nearly in a direct 
line from the point of the peninsula formed by 
Sandusky bay and Portage river, to Maiden, 
The proximity of fhe islands to each other 
renders the navigation safe ; it sometimes 
happens, however, owing to the temerity or 
ignorance of the pilots, that boats are Jost. — 
the number of Islands is about twenty ; the 
principal of which are Cunningham's, Put-iri- 
Bay, Isle aux Fleurs and Pointe au Plait isl- 
and. Each of these contain several thousand 



* In the prospectus of this- work, it was proposed to 
give a view of the lake coast from Sandusky to Mieliili- 
mackinac, but the writer not much versed in book-mak- 
ing, found, when he began to arrange his notes, that a 
particular description of such an immense extent of coun- 
try could not be comprized within the narrow limits pre- 
scribed to the puplicarton. Iu this dilemma, he has pre- 
ferred giving a minute account of a part to a brief view 
of the whole., which decision he thinks the reader will apt 
proVe. 



128 

aeres of excellent land, covered with lofty 
timber, such as white oak, black walnut, red 
cedar, baswood and honey locust. 

Put-in-Bay is an object of much interest m 
apolitical point of view. It lies about one 
mile south of the Isle aux Fleurs, and the 
boundary line between Canada and the United 
States passes between them. It is about 12 
miles in circumference and affords the best 
harbor between Buffalo and Maiden, It con- 
tains several hundred acres of the finest oak 
timber to be found on the lake waters ; about 
300 acres of this invaluable forest have been 
deadened, by the proprietor, Mr. Ed- 
wards, who in 1812, employed about thirty 
hands in clearing land. He built a house on 
the side of the bay and procured a stock 
of hogs and 300 merino sheep which he win- 
tered on the island. His wheat, corn, pota- 
toes, garden and meadow were very fine — his 
first harvest gave him 12Q0 bushels of wheat. 
A few weeks before the declaration of war he 
was compelled, from motives of safety, to 
abandon his establishment. The Indians de- 
stroyed his graki and burnt his house*; the 
hogs were not all killed ; we saw several in 
the woods perfectly wild and in good condi- 
tion. Gen. Harrrison caused a large log build- 
ing to be erected on the margin of the bay, 
which served as a public store. The harbor 
is on the north side within the strait lormed by 
Isle aux Fleurs, and is deep enough at certaife 



points, to admit vessels of 1Q0 tons burthen to fc 
.anchor within twenty yards of the shore. The 
south half of the island is covered Avith black 
walnut and honey locust. From the pods of 
fehe latter, which are about twelve iqches long 
and one wide, is made a liquor resembling 
metheglin. The process is simply, bruising 
and fermentation ; one tree will often yield 15 
or 20 bushels of pods. The soil is a deep 
black mould, resting on a bed of limestone 
similar to that of many parts of Kentucky, 
Nearly ija the centre of the island is a cave in- 
to which several of us descended, and at the 
distance of 300 feet from its mouth found a 
subterranean pond of the purest water. Twelve 
or fifteen feet from its entrance, one is oblig- 
ed to creep for eight or ten feet, when you en- 
ter a spacious room about 1 70 feet long and 
40 wide ; its left side rises like an amphithea- 
tre ; the angle of descent from the entrance to 
the pond is about 15 degrees. It was with dif- 
ficulty that we could preserve our lights ; we 
could neither ascertain the depth or extent of 
the water, for it effectually prevented our 
further progress, We had furnished ourselves 
with a pole 25 feet long, for the purpose of 
sounding it. It unquestionably communi- 
cates with the circumfluent lake. The place 
appeared to have been much frequented by 
Indians. No place is better adapted to the 
raising of sheep, as the wolves were never 
known to venture over from the main, and the 
timothy seed sowji by Mr, Edwards had pro- 



m 

dueed a meadow of the most luxuriant growtti. 
The people employed on Mr. E's. plantation* 
enjoyed good health. There is one serious 
evil, however, to counterbalance so many ad- 
vantages. There are great numbers of rattle 
snakes ; so plenty indeed, that they would 
crawl into our tents and conceal themselves 
under our baggage. An officer of Shelby's 
corps found one under his pillow, when he 
awoke in the morning. The proprietor of 
this island died in the autumn of 1 812. Query : 
Are not political considerations sufficiently 
weighty to induce the purchase of this island 
by the United States ? The contingencies of 
war — events, now in the womb of futurity, 
may render this island of great national im- 
portance. There is an excellent scite for a 
navy yard, and timber in sufficient quantities 
within rifle shot distance from the shore. 

These islands in most places present a 
beautiful white beach ; here and Ihere you 
perceive rude clifts of limestone rock curious- 
ly excavated by the surf. They are not cor- 
rectly laid down in any map that I have seen, . 
Melish's map of the seat of war, the bestow 
■tent, is incorrect in the position of these isl- 
ands. Put-in-Bay and Aux Fleurs actually 
but one mile apart, are represented at the dis- 
tance of fifteen on the map. The location of 
the Three Sisters is equally erroneous. 

Deer are frequently seen swimming fror^ 



131 

the point of the peninsula to the nearest isl- 
ands, where they range in undisturbed secu- 
rity. They have very sensibly increased in 
numbers since the declaration of war, by 
reason of the Indians having had no time to 
hunt. The velocity of a deer's motion in 
water when swimming, if frightened and pur- 
sued, is incredible. Few boats are able to 
overtake them. 

The " myriads of water snakes," which 
were basking on the leaves of the pond lilly, 
at the time Carver passed the islands, are not 
to be seen at this day. Neither has any 
one e"ver been able to discover his deleterious 
" hissing snake."* When will the sagaciolrs 
geographer Morse reject this fable ? 

Several families have settled on the Isle au 
Plait, for the purpose of raising cattle and 
hogs, which are found to do extremely well, 
and that without receiving much attention from 

* The most remarkable of the different species that im- 
fest this lake, [Erie] is the hissing snake, which is of the 
small speckled kind, arid is about eight inches lon<*. — 
When any thing approaches, it flattens itself in a moment, 
and its spots, which are of various dyes, become visibly 
brighter through rage ; at tne same lime it blows from its 
mouth, with great force, a subtile wind, that is reported 
to be of a nauseous smell; and if drawn in with the breath 
of the unwary traveller, will infallibly bring" on a decline, 
that in a few months must prove mortal, there being no 
remedy yet discovered which can counteract its baneful 
influence. — [Carvcr.\ 



132 

the owners. One family often own three or 
four hundred hogs. 

The peninsula projects ten miles into the 
lake, and is formed by Sandusky bay and Por- 
tage river, which at their nearest approach are 
not more than a mile and a half apart. The 
intervening land is a perfect level, of a rich 
black soil and not more than six feet above the 
surface of both waters. A canal across this 
neck, which would cost but a few thousand 
dollars, would save boats nearly thirty mile of 
dangerous navigation. The head of the pen- 
insula proves frequently a difficult point to 
weather. The west, south-west and north- 
west winds generally prevail : hence, boats 
often experience several days delay in their 
passage round the point. 

The peninsula contains about one hundred 
thousand acres and may at no remote period 
nourish as populous settlement : the soil is in 
most places a deep black mold, covered with 
black walnut, butternut, honey locust, bass- 
wood and oak ; the surface is apparently as 
level as the almost surrounding waters, though 
tihere is an impreceptible acclivit) from the 
neck to its terminating point, where the hank 
is twenty feet high. About a dozen families 
had settled on its eastern margin before the 
war, but the menaces of the Indians soon com- 
pelled them to abandon their habitations. — 
1 hose parts lying on the bay and Portage 



133 

Lave proved sickly, while those washed by 
the lake are favorable to health. The peb- 
bles of the beach as well as the rocks of the 
shore are limestone : the same of the islands. 

Sandusky bay, or rather the "Little Lake" 
as it is termed by the inhabitants, is twelve 
miles long and eight wide. At the narrows, 
where it communicates with lake Erie, it is 
not more than half a mile wide. It affords an 
excellent harbor for boats and light vessels. 
Clouds of ducks are at all times seen flviftg a- 
bout the bay : fish can be taken in abundance. 
Bull's island on which have resided several 
French families, is situated on the north side. 
The bay receives the waters of Sandusky ri- 
ver, Cold and Pipe creeks : at the mouth of 
Cold creek stands a small deserted Indian 
village belonging to the chief Makoonse; the 
farm of this chief is of itself a fortune. 

The Sandusky is a considerable river, and 
beatable about sventy miles. Its waters in- 
terweave with those of the Big ityfiariij. Its 
course from its source to the lake is pearly 
northeast. Vessels of fifty tons burthen can 
ascend as far as Fort Stephenson, 18 miles 
from its entrance into the little lake. The 
current thus far, is sluggish and opposes verv 
little resistance to bo its going up : indeed, it 
not infrequently sets ny> \he river, in conse- 
quence of the rise of the lake; — hence the 
banks df this river, as Well 'as those of Tons 

M 



134 

Saints, Miami, Raisins, &c. have the resem- 
blance of those of tide-water streams. The 
land on both banks of the Sandusky is almost 
every where rich ; the first ten miles the timber 
is principally oak, with little under-wood ; the 
interval or bottom extends with little interrup- 
tion from foil Stephenson to Upper Sandusky, 
a distance of forty miles, and its fertility is 
enough to astonish people, who have not trav- 
elled westwardly beyond the Genesee. The 
river abounds with several kinds of valuable 
iish ; wild geese and ducks, particularly in 
spring and autumn, are so thick that one need 
never be at a loss for a shot at them. The 
prairies are open and extensive ; they are al- 
ways surrounded by fine oak and chesnut land, 
which will furnish the best of rail timber. — 
The swales are covered with lynn, sugar ma- 
ple, honey locust, cucumber, red elm, &c. 
Farms might be so chosen that the proprietor 
could take equal quantities of bottom, open 
and heavy timbered lands. The country, af- 
ter vou #ct ten or fifteen miles from the lake 
is found to be healthful ; and so even is its 
surface, that roads can be readily opened in 
every direction. Besides, there is another ad- 
iizfilage, which no other country this side the 
Missisippi possesses in an equal degree : I 
mean the range for cattle and hogs : — There 
is a natural meadow independent of the im- 
mense prairies, ninety miles long and from two 
to ten wide, extending from the mouth of 
Portage to Brownstown. This meadow will 



135 

afford an inexhaustible supply of grass or bay 
for all the cattle which -the inhabitants can 
raise or procure, probably for half a century 
to come. The earth yields wild artichokes 
and wild potatoes in prodigious quantities ; 
and, the mast has never been known to fail, 
because, there are so many kinds that every 
season is favorable to some ; there are hieort 
nuts, hazle nuts, chesnuts, acorns, locust seed 
and black walnuts. The prairies themselves 
are covered with a redundant growth of grass 
which has been found a good substitute for 
hay. When they are sufficiently plowed they 
easily take timothy and other hay seed — the 

V *' v 

soil is a rich dry muck and produces corn, 
flax, hemp, potatoes, &c. as well as the best 
Ohio bottoms. The celebrated vale oiTcmye 
was not more enchanting to the eye of the 
ravished beholder, than is the scenery of these 
beautiful plains : An officer of the north-wes- 
tern army thus describes an extensive prairie : 
— " After travelling some scores of miles 
[from Urbanna] through a thick and continu- 
ed forest, and suddenly emerging from it into 
this extensive plain, the sensajtions produced 
upon the mind are delightful beyond descrip- 
tion. The traveller is almost ready to ima- 
gine himself suddenly transported into the 
Elysium of the ancients. Let the reader figure 
to himself a beautiful plain, extending many 
miles, even until the distant horison terminates 
his view ; let this plain be covered with the 
richest verdure and the finest tints of nature 



13G 

in its greatest exuberance, and variegated with 
distant clusters of trees, and be will have some 
faint idea of the grounds here described. In- 
deed the philosophic mind will rarely enjoy 
a richer feast than nature here presents him." 

A barrel of pork, beef or flour can be sent 
to Montreal for one dollar and seventy-five 
cents. The land belongs to the United States, 
and can be had for two dollars an acre. — 
These peculiar advantages have not escaped 
the notice of many enterprizing men, who had 
began to break ground just as the war com- 
menced ; — -that event has necessarily suspend- 
ed the settlements; but they will undoubted- 
ly be resumed the ensuing spring. 

Fort Stephenson is situated on the west 
bank of the Sandusky, at the distance of two 
hundred yards from the river, where the se- 
cond banks are about fifty feet high. Seven 
miles above the fort are the Seneca and Dela- 
ware Indian villages* The distance from this 
post to fort Meigs is forty miles ; the road 
passes through the Black Swamp, which is 
four miles wide. The country between this 
road and the great meadow is too flat for cul- 
tivation, though the soil is extremely rich. 

Portage river is a deep languid stream, fur- 
nishing an excellent harbor for small craft at 
its mouth. It rises in the Black swamp and is 
not more than thirty miles long ; but is one 



137 

hundred yards wide six miles from the take? 
the land on both sides is rich. The remain* 
of an Indian village are to be seen on its left 
bank, where there is also a peach orchard ; 
this river is a place of great resort for wild 
fowl. There is a United Stntes store house- 
on the Portage road from Sandusky bay to 
the mouth of the river. There is very title 
timber growing on the neck of the peninsula. 
No white man has as yet had tho hardihood to 
settle at the mouth of Portage, though the ad- 
vantages of the range are incalculable ; be- 
sides there will always be much travelling 
across the Portage, 

The Great Meadow cannot contain less 
than two hundred thousand acres. Its bank 
is generally about eight feet above the sur- 
face of the lake. The soil is in many parts 
sufficiently dry for ploughing, and traces of 
old Indian corn hills are frequently met with. 
I had the best opportunity for exploring thai 
part which lies between Miami bay and Por- 
tage river. Sergeant Abraham, myself and 
three others, of M'Clelland's company, were 
dispatched from fort Meigs with a letter from 
gen. M' Arthur to general Harrison. We de- 
scended the Miami in a canoe, and at sun set 
had just reached the bay, which like that of 
Sandusky has every appearance of a lake — 
it soon became dark and windy, and instead 
of striking the mouth of the bay we made land 
inside, several miles too far to the right— 

M-2 



133 

It was about midnight when we landed ; we 
were completely lost, and the darkness ren- 
dered it impracticable to correct our mistake 
before daylight. We therefore hauled up our 
canoe and concealed ourselves in the grass till 
morning. My comrades slept soundly ; as 
for me, it was the first time I had been ex- 
posed to the tomahawk, and every rustling I 
heard I fancied it was caused by the footsteps 
of a savage — my eyes never closed that night. 
At the dawn of day we repaired to the beach 
and found our canoe completely filled by the 
dashing of the surf. We had left every thing 
in the canoe ; — our musket, [we had but one] 
our ammunition and provisions were com- 
pletely soaked. Here we were ; in an Indian 
country with nothing to defend ourselves with 
but an ax and a musket which could not be 
discharged. I could not persuade my com- 
panions to bail the canoe and proceed by wa- 
ter ; they preferred going down the beach of 
the lake ; the distance was forty miles. We 
were then not more than one mile from the 
lake, and by forcing our way through the 
grass of the meadow w 7 e could save several 
miles travel ; this we attempted, but found the 
grass higher than our heads and as<thick as a 
mat, confined together by a species of pea 
vine, which compelled us to tread it under our 
feet to make the least progress ; this opera- 
tion was too slow and fatiguing to be long con- 
tinued ; besides the trail which we made was 
1oo conspicuous toi my then notions of prudence. 



139 

and in the course of a few rods we had distur- 
bed several rattle snakes — one of our party 
v\as barefoot, the rest in shoes. I 

We retraced our steps, followed the beach 
to the mouth of the bay and thence down the 
lake shore. About twelve we found our pro- 
gress stopped by a deep dark stream, which 
we at first supposed to be Portage river. A 
majority of the company voted against swim- 
ming ; (indeed one could not swim) and we 
could not find materials for a raft. The mead- 
ow is here apparently ten miles wide. It was 
thought, if we could gain the woods we could, 
either ford or raft across the river. Accord- 
ingly we firmly resolved to force our passage 
through the grass to the woods ; we were in- 
duced to adopt this alternative in consequence 
of observing the yellow blossoms of a tall 
weed, which lined the banks of the river as 
far as we could see them, and which always 
grow on the dryest parts. We pushed on as 
fast as possible ; each one taking his turn to 
open a passage ; in this way we progressed 
about two miles and found the labor too great 
to be surmounted. We returned to the 
mouth of the river (which we afterwards 
learnt to be the Tons Saints) and attempted to 
gain the woods by a new passage one mile fur- 
ther up the lake. AVe forced the grass nearly 
a mile to a grove of trees which appeared to 
be within a short distance of an arm of the 
main woods. It is impossible for me to give the 



140 

reader a perfect idea of (lie difficulties &i fatigue 
we experienced in getting to the grove. The 
grass was about seven feet high and so thick 
that it would easily sustain one's hat — in some 
places a cat could have walked on its surface ; 
in many places it was effectually matted by 
vines that required one's whole strength to 
break it down. To break the road four rods 
was as much as the best of us could perform 
at one turn. We continued our exertions till 
dark and succeeded in reaching an insulated 
piece of woods half a mile wide and three 
long ; we encamped near the banks of an im- 
passable slough or branch of the river ; wet, 
fatigued and supperless, we lay down on the 
moist ground and had but two blankets among 
five of us. Not a moment's sleep for my eyes 
this night ; but neither the danger of the rat^ 
tie snake's- fangs or the horrors of the scalping 
knife had any influence with my comrades ; 
they slept as soundly as though they had been 
under their paternal roofs. But they had 
been so long familiarized to danger, that it had 
lost its terrors — /was a raw hand ; hence the 
difference. The geese, ducks and other fowl 
kept up an incessant noise the whole night. — 
The dew had the effect of a shower — our 
clothes and blankets were as wet as though 
they had been exposed to a heavy rain. In 
the morning, finding our progress checked, 
we attempted an "oblique movement to the 
left," but this produced no better succes ; at 
ten o'clock we became too, mucji exhausted 



141 

to continue our efforts, " A council of war" 
was held ; the result was, evey one was vvil- 
ling to return to the mouth of the river and 
effect its passage at every hazzard. On our 
return to the river, we found fresli iiorse and 
Indian tracks, but whether they were made 
by friendly or hostile Indians, we never learnt. 
We had tiie good foitune to find a piece of 
drift wood sufficietly large to sustain the man 
that could not swim, our clothes, &c. Of this 
we made a rude raft, with which we succeeded 
in getting over. Suffice it to say, in conclu- 
sion, that we afterwards found too many op- 
portunities to become thoroughly acquainted 
with this immense meadow. It is no exage- 
ration to say that we met with rattle snakes 
every ten rods from To us Saints to Portage 
river. The grass of this meadow is of a soft- 
er kind than the wild grass of the prairies and 
answers all the purposes of hay and pasture. 
It is intermixed with wild oats, wild rye, 
wdid peas, beans, <fcc. making it in short, the- 
best range for cattle or horses I ever saw. — - 
The Tons Saints is an unfrequented solitary 
river, and the best place for fowling this side 
Detroit. To those attached to tins kind of 
sport, it is worth a journey of five hundred 
miles, to view 7 the feathered assemblage winch 
almost cover the surface of the river and some- 
times darken the air with their numbers. 

Miami bay, like that of Sandusky, resem- 
bles a lake ; it is about fifteen miles long and 



142 

twelve wide ; vessels of 70 tons burthen ran 
pass the bar at its entrance. Within the bo- 
som of this bay grow several thousand acres 
offelkaioine, (wild oats) which constitutes 
the principal food of the vast flocks of ducks 
thai frequent the place. It grows in about 7 
feet water; the stalks near the roots are about 
an inch in dia mater and grow to the height 
often feet ; its leaves above the surface of the 
water are like those of the reed cane ; in other 
respects it resembles the common oat stalk in 
every thing but size and kernel, which is of 
the nature of rice, and of which the French 
people make a free use in their favorite soup. 
Its yield is very abundant, being half a pint, 
at least, from every stalk. This valuable 
aquatic grain is found at the mouths of ail 
the rivers which fall into the lakes west of 
Sandusky, as far as the south end of lake Mi-» 
cliigan, and is the chief subsistence of the 
prodigious number of Water fowl which are 
found on these w T aters. The duck has be- 
come singularly expert in plucking her food 
from the folic avohic ; being unable to reach 
the highest branches, she presses her breast 
against the stalk and with a violent effort of 
her feet causes it to yield to her strength, 
which it readily does by reason of its slender 
fibrous roots — having iorced the top of the 
stalk into the water, she keeps it under her 
body until she has finished her repast. 



143 

The Miami-of-the-lake is a fine river navi- 
gable for light vessels as far as ihe rapids, 
which are 18 miles from its mouth. It is form- 
ed by the junction of the St. Mary's and 
the St. .Joseph's, which mingle their waters at 
fort Wavne; from thence it meanders through 

if c^ 

a rich level country to foil Winchester, (lately 
fort Defiance; where it receives the Au Glaize 
from tiie south east ; its general course is 
north-east ; its banks are regular — high, but 
not abrupt — sloping gradually to the water's 
edge, and covered with a beautiful luxuriant 
verdure. The channel of the river from the 
rapids, to within three miles of the bay is 
composed of limestone rock, formed into re- 
gular strata by parallel fissures, which sink 
perpendicularly into the rock and run trans- 
versely across the river. The face of the 
bank for ten or twelve feet above the water is 
also composed of solid rock, and from its ar> 
pearance it is evident that the current has 
worn the channel many feet deeper than it 
was in former ages. 

Fort Meigs is situated on the eastern bank 
nearly opposite the Rapids ; the prospect 
here in summer is most delightful. 

The rich open bottoms extending to the 
right and left as far as the eye can reach ; the 
elevation of the ban ;s ; the beautiful Miami 
(lowing rapilly th o igh the centre of the val- 
ley, the declivities of the surrounding hills 



144 

here and there adorned with clusters of 
honey locust, plum trees and hawthorn, clad 
with the wide spreading grape vine — present 
at once a romantic and interesting scenery. 

Nooue can visit this place and not be charm- 
ed with its appearance and peculiar advan- 
tages* If fishing be his favorite diversion, 
here he will attain his utmost gratification.*— 
The quantity of fish at the rapids is almost 
incredible ; the Miami at this place, is now 
what the rapids of Fish creek in Saratoga 
rounty were 40 years ago. So numerous are 
they at this place, that a spear may be thrown 
into the water at random, and will rarely 
miss killing one! I saw several hundred tak- 
en in this manner in a few hours. The sol- 
diers of the fort used to kill them in great 
quail tities with clubs and stones. Some da) s 
there were not less than 1000 taken with the 
hook within a short distance of the fort, and 
of an excellent quality. If he prefer fowling, 
here also is a fine field for his sports ; the river 
— Swan creek, and the shoals of the bay, 
swarm with ducks, geese, &c. lie need not 
wait one minute for a shot. If hunting is the 
object of his desire, here too, he will find am- 
ple scope to indulge his propensity ; the wood* 
are filled with deer, elk and wild turkies. 

The whole length of the rapids on both 
sides the river, will unquestionably, at no re- 
mote period, be lined with mills and various 



145 

manufactories. The situation is peculiarly 
favorable ; it opens a communication with an 
immense extent of country, south and west- 
wardly; the advantages of locality, water, nav- 
igation, &c. are loo striking to be overlooked 
by the enterprising. Cotton could be procu- 
red from Tennessee in any quantity and sub- 
ject to a land carriage of not more than 20 
miles ! The rapidly encreasing settlements on 
lake Erie will render manufactories indispen- 
sable. Besides, this place affords a beautiful 
scite for a town ; and there is little doubt but 
that, in a short time, there will be a flourish- 
ing village on the ground where now stands 
fort Meigs. Before the war there was a 
flourishing French settlement on the river, 
extending for several miles above and below 
the town. The houses were all destroyed by 
the enemy a few weeks after Hull's surrender, 
and nothing now r remains as a memento of its 
former existence but the chimnies. The usu- 
al yield of com is &Q bushels to the acre. — 
There was also a small settlement on Swan 
creek, which shared the same fate. This 
creek falls into the Miami seven miles below 
the fort, on the Michigan side. An enterpris- 
ing man of the name of Owens had erected a 
mill on this stream ; it was burnt by the In- 
dians. 

About three miles below fort Meigs, on the 
same side, are found the ruins of an ancient 
Indian village ; between these ruins and the 

N 



146 

fort are several beautiful islands ; the largest 
contains 500 acres, and has been cultivated; 

The distance by land from fort Meigs to the 
river Raisin is 34 miles* Four miles this side 
Raisin the little river La Loutre falls into 
lake Erie. Several families of French were 
established here before the Avar, but their hab- 
itations were mostly burnt shortly after the 
fall of Detroit* This stream affords a good 
harbor for boats, I was told by several of 
the inhabitants that the land about the head 
waters of this river is very fertile—that there 
are several valuable mill seats near tis sour- 
ces. 

The Lake coast from Sandusky bay to the 
mouth of the Raisin resembles that part be- 
tween the bay and Portage river, already des- 
cribed. I had forgotten to mention that the 
margin of the coast is several feet higher than 
the plain in its rear, this necessary mound ex- 
tends the whole length of the meadow — its 
.summit is covered with a row of trees, which 
in their turns in summer are Covered with an 
impenetrable foliage of grape vine ; these form 
refreshing shades — grapes are found in abun- 
dance, but they are of the species usually cal- 
led fox grapes. 

The mound was evidently formed of sand, 
shells and pebles, which the violence" of the 
surf has been accumulating for ages ; if it were 



147 

not for ibis defence the lake would often in- 
undate the immensely valuable meadow and 
cover it with sand and stones. 

If I were disposed to' indulge in geological 
speculations on the formation of this vast plain, 
I would contend that lake Erie was, in for- 
mer ages, several miles wider than at present, 
and I would prove my argument by the stats 
of the second bank, at the woods, where are to 
be found cylindrical or water-worn stones, 
muscle shells, hillocks of san$ and other evi- 
dences of the action of this inland sea. ; 

The river Anx Raisin (grape river) has 
acquired great celebrity in consequence of 
having been the scene of a sanguinary conflict 
between the American and Britsh forces. It is 
smaller than the Miami and its banks are 
equally handsome with those of that river ; 
buttowards its mouth much lower. Its source, 
is near that of the Maxanie which falls into 
the east side of lake Michigan, Its course is 
a few minutes south of east. The country at 
its head is represented by hunters and Indians 
to be delightful. Towards the lake it mean 
ders through the meadow, and forms a good 
harbor for boats. The country is settled along 
both banks for the space of twelve miles. — 
The first houses are about three miles distant 
from the lake. The plantations have a nar- 
row front on the river, but extend back a mile 
and a half ; the houses being all built on the 



140 

bank of tiki river, gives it something the- ap- 
pearance of the street of a town. The inhabi- 
tants raise large quantities of wheat, and have 
line orchards from which cider is made for ' 
exportation. Previous to the war they had 
several grist and saw T mills and a distillery.^- 
They are principally French and warmly at- 
tached to the United States. A considerable 
Indian trade is carried on with the Indians 
from the St. Joseph's and the waters of lak§ 
Michigan, There are several Indian villages 
on the river above the settlement. Good 
bargains can be made in purchasing improved 
farms ; the inhabitants do not appear to un- 
derstand the value of improvements. The 
country on the Raisin has acquired a charao 
Iter for health, but it was visited by the epi* 
demic of last year. 

The late garrison on this river was situated 
about three miles from the lake. It con»is4ed 
of two block houses, with about an acre of 
ground enclosed by pickets, at the distance of 
15 rods from, the river. The scite had been 
injudiciously selected, for defence. After 
the territory fell into the hands of the British 
and Indians, they burnt the block houses.-^- 
When gen. Winchester advanced to the river, 
in January, 1813, he found nothing but a few 
pickets, sufficient to defend only a part of his 
oawp. 

, I visited the battle ground and examined 



149 

the remains of the pickets, which were cor.::' 
pletely shattered by the enemy's shot. The 
bones of our countrymen were still bleaching 
in the air. 

Seven miles from Raisin, the river Aux 
Sables falls into the lake. There is a consid 
erable bay at its mouth into which also runs 
the little river La Roche ; vast quantities of 
folk amine is found at the mouths of these ri- 
vers. A few French families are settled on 
these waters. The bottom is extensive and 
rich ; the upland is open and in many places 
sandy, but sufficiently fertile for wheat and 
barley. I found no person acquainted with the 
country in the interior ; these streams are 
very brisk and furnish several valuable miH 
seats. 

Six miles from the river La Roche is the riv- 
er Aux Clgnes ; its banks near the lake are low, 
but the meadow is susceptible of cultivation ■: 
a few wretched French families are the only 
human beings that have had the ooura&e to 
brave disease and rattle snakes-. Their wheat, 
corn, pumpkins and gardens did well, indeed 
there is very little of the meadow but what 
might be ploughed— corn, flax and hemp would 
do best : the pond lilly, folk avoine and other 
aquatic plaats almost choak up the channel 
of the river, giving the water an offensive and 
putrid smell ; it will rope like molasses, yet the 
inhabitants make a free use of -it for cooking* 

n2 



160 

~id drinking. Why it did not produce itf- 
stant death I cannot conceive ; their children 
looked miserably. This is by far the worst 
looking stream tributary to Lake Erie* The 
timbered land here, approaches within a mile 
of the lake; four mile^ from the lake Aux 
Cignes has a brisk current, and aflbrds situa- 
tions favorable to the erection of water ma- 
chinery. The trees are lofty — the land high 
and arable. 

For the space of two miles between La 
Roche and Aux Cignes the meadow is inter- 
rupted by wood land which approaches to the 
beach. This situation is as high as the islands 
of the lake and has the same soil and timber. 

Six miles from Aux Cignes, in the direction 
of Brownstown, comes in the river Huron,* 
.which pursues a devious course through the 
#ieadow and the folle avoine of the lake. It 
requires an experienced pilot to find the en- 
trance into rids river — it is not laid down in 
any English map now in use. AVe spent a 
horrible night on a point of the meadow near 
its mouth on the last of October, 1813; the 
rain fell in torents the whole night and extin- 
guished our fires ; we had no tents and were 
drenched to the skin. I here saw an intelli- 



* There are three rivers of this name — the one in ques- 
tion — Huron running into the American side of lake St. 
Clair, and Huron that Talis into lake •'Eri«. ten mile* xast 
A Sandusky bay. 



151 

gent Frenchman, who was pe?iecth atotpMifefr* 
ed with the interior parts of the Michigan teiv 
ritory — I have only room to say that his ac- 
count was very interesting. The meadow 
here is apparently three miles wide. The 
Canada shore to the distance of fifteen miles 
below Maiden is visible from the mouth ot 
Huron. 

The distance from Huron to Brownsfcowu 
is five miles, where the meadow terminated — 
having gradually narrowed from the Au.x 
Cignes. The village of Brownstown is near- 
ly opposite to Maiden. It contains about one 
hundred houses, and is the residence of Walk- 
in-the-Water. The road from i'his village to 
the river Raisin is naturally goodl The In- 
dians have several hundred acres of rich corn 
and wheat ground-, but such is their indolence 
and fondness for spirit ous liquors, that they 
raise very little corn. Their nearness to 
Maiden has a very pernicious influence on 
their minds and morals. They are: much ad- 
dicted to intoxication, and are a ferocious 
looking set of beings* 

Four miles above Brownstown stands the 
little village of Maguago of twenty houses. — 
The strait for the space of six miles from the 
lake, is divided into two channels by Grose 
Isle, an alluvion of ten thousand acres, on 
which are several valuable farms owned by 
Canadian French, BoisManc is] and, in fjuDini 



152 

of Maiden belongs to the Unined States ; th« 
channel passes hetweenthis island and Maiden. 
At no time since the declaration of indepen- 
4ence till the- capture of Maiden, has the Bri- 
tish flag ceased to " wave over the territory" 
of the United States ; from 1783 to 1794 the 
British retained the frontier posts of Detroit, 
Miami, &c; from 1794 till 1813, they had al- 
ways kept a small garrison with a battery and 
flag staff on Bois blancl This fact cannot be 
controverted. 

The American side of the strait receives the 
livers Aux Ecorces and Rouge ; the first i* 
at the distance of ten, the latter live miles be- 
low Detroit. The Rouge is a deep slow stream, 
capable of admitting vessels of three hundred 
tons five miles from its mouth, where there is 
a ship yard ; The United States brig Adams 
Avas built here : its banks are thickly settled by 
French. Several Indian villages are estab- 
lished on its head water. The mouths of Aux 
Ecorces and Rouge are wide and contain ma- 
ny hundred acres of folk avoim. The road 
from Aux Ecorces to Brownstow n passes on 
hard dry land and through several groves of 
lofty white oak timber. 

Three miles below Detroit are the Spring 
Wells, or Belle Fontaine. The bank is here 
about thirty fee thigh, and presents one of the 
finest view 7 s imaginable. You have a full 
view; of the Canadian shore for ten or fifteen 



153 

utiles, Sandwich, Detroit, Les Cot^s, andlne 
wind-mills ot bolli shores. 

The town of Detroit is situated on the west- 
ern bank of the strait, nine miles below lake 
St. Clair and eighteen above Brownstown. — 
The town contains about two hundred houses, 
which are inhabited by more than one thous- 
and two hundred souls; under one roof ara 
often crowded several families. The town 
stands contiguous to the river, on the top of 
the bank, which are here about twenty ieet 
high. There are several wooden wharves ex.-. 
tending ifcto the river upwards of one hun- 
dred feet, for the accommodation of the si lip- 
ping ; the largest was built by the United 
States, and is found very convenient for the 
unloading of vessels. The principal streets 
run parallel with the river, and are intersected 
by cross streets at right angles,. They are 
wide, but not being paved are extremely 
muddy in wet weather ; but for the accommo- 
dation of passengers, there are foot ways in 
most of them, formed of square logs. Every 
house,has a garden attached to it; the build- 
ings are mostly framed, though there are sev- 
eral elegant stone and l^rick buildings. Be* 
fore the great fire in 1806, the town was sur- 
rounded by a strong stockade, through which 
there were four gates; two of them opinio 
the wharves, the others to the land ; this de- 
fence was intended to repel the attacfcjg of the 
Indians. 



154 

The fort stands on a rise of ground two 
hundred yards in the rear of the town; the 
J fortifications consist of a stockade of cedar 
pickets, with bastions of earth ; near the foot 
of the ditch is a row of short sharp pickets* 
inclining outwards — thirty pieces of cannon 
can be mounted on the ramparts ; the fort 
covers about an acre and a half of ground. 

The proximity of one house to another, 
from lake St. Clair to the river Rouge, gives 
the street the resemblance of the suburbs of 
a great town. The farms are only twenty 
rods wide on the river and extend back one 
mile and a quarter ; the same of those on the 
other rivers as well as those on the British side, 
The country round Detroit is very much 
cleared. The inhabitants have to draw their 
w T ood a mile and a half, from the United 
States lands, in the rear of the town. It sells 
in market for three dollars a cord ; almost ev- 
ery farm has an orchard ; apples, pears and 
peaches do well — several hundred barrels of 
cider are annually made, and sells as high as 
six dollars a barrel. The land rises gradual- 
ly from the river to the distance of three hun- 
dred yards ; it then recedes till the country 
becomes low and level, and continues so four 
or five miles, when it rises by degrees and at 
this distance is represented as first rate land. 

There are a, number of stores which appear 
to have a brisk trade, and they know how to 



155 

extort an exorbitant price for every thing 
sold. 

The United States have a long elegant brick 
store at the water's edge, near the public wharf 
— this is completely filled with the spoils of 
the enemy taken on the Thames— and the 
arms of the volunteers. This building is 80 
feet long, 30 wide and three stories high. The 
enemy had partly unroofed it, but it was soon 
repaired. 

The streets of Detroit are generally crowd- 
ed with Indians of various tribes, who collect 
here to sell their skins. You will hear them 
whooping and shouting in the streets the whole 
night. A few days after Proctor's defeat, 
the town was so full of famished savages, that 
the issue of rations to them did not keep pace 
with their hunger. I have seen the women 
and children searching about the ground for 
bones and rinds of pork, which had been thrown 
away by the soldiers ; meat, in a high state 
of putrifaction, which had been thrown into 
the river, was carefully picked up and devour- 
ed ; the feet, heads and entraiJs of the cattle 
slaughtered by the public butchers, were col- 
lected and sent off to the neighboring villa- 
ges. I have counted twenty horses in a drove 
fancifully decorated with the offals of the 
slaughter-yard. 

It.isna more than an act6f Juatioe to the 



156 

Indians, to state, that during their possession 
of the place> they conducted better than could 
reasonably have been expected from Savages. 
What they wanted to eat they took without 
ceremony, but rarely committed any other 
outrage. 

The inhabitants are plentifully supplied 
with many kinds of excellent fish — the white 
bass, nearly as large as a shad, are caught with 
seins and in great quantities. The popula- 
t ion is three fourths of French extraction, and 
very few understand any other language. — 
They are excessively fond of music and danc- 
ing. There is a kind of nunnery, a Roman 
chapel for devotion and singing : a wretched 
printing office in which religious French 
books are printed in a rude style. Learning is 
almost wholly neglected. In 1 809, J ames M. 
Miller, of Utica, established a weekly paper 
entitled the " Michigan Essay" but did not 
meet with sufficient encouragement to con- 
tinue it beyond ihe third number. 



CORRECTIONS. 

The reader is desired to correct (wo essential typo» 
graphical errors, which appear in a few copies : 

Page 127, line Qthfrom top, for 24 read 1 A— page 66, 
3ef line fromtop> for one hundred and twenty-five read 
twenty -five. 



